Spices for breakfast
Spiced porridges, eggs, chai, upma and the first meal of the day.
Breakfast is often thought of as a plain meal, yet spices appear in the first meal of the day in many countries, from cardamom in Nordic buns to turmeric in Indian poha and cumin in Egyptian ful.
Sweet breakfasts
Cinnamon is the great breakfast spice of the West, in porridge, buns, French toast and cereal. Nordic bakers use cardamom in their morning breads and buns. Vanilla flavours pancakes, and nutmeg is grated over milk and oatmeal.
Savoury breakfasts
In India, poha and upma are tempered with mustard seed, curry leaf and turmeric, and parathas are served with pickle. In Egypt, ful medames is seasoned with cumin. In Mexico, chilaquiles and huevos rancheros carry chilli, and in Israel and the Middle East shakshuka is built on paprika, cumin and chilli.
Hot drinks
Tea and coffee are often spiced at breakfast, with cardamom in Arabic coffee, ginger and clove in masala chai, and cinnamon in Mexican coffee.
Breakfast on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 5 moreCinnamon
The dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, prized for its sweet warmth and essential oil.Bark · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 3 moreNutmeg
The dried seed of a tropical evergreen tree, prized for its warm, pungent flavor.Seed · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow
🇲🇽 Mexico and 2 moreVanilla
The cured fruit of a climbing orchid, the world's primary source of vanilla flavouringSweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇦🇺 AustraliaWattleseed
The edible seed of Australian Acacia trees, traditionally ground into flour by Aboriginal Australians.Seed · Sweet and mellow · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 IndiaChammanthi podi
A dry coconut and spice condiment from Kerala that preserves fresh chutney for months.Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreMixed spice
A British blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice for sweet bakingBlend · Warm and sweet-spiced · Sweet and mellow
🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreCinnamon sugar
A simple blend of ground cinnamon and granulated sugar used to sweeten and spice desserts.Sweet and mellow · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChar magazचार मगज
A blend of four melon seeds used to thicken and enrich dishes in South AsiaSweet and mellow · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFenugreekحلبة (hilba)
The cuboid seed of an annual legume, prized for its bitter warmth and maple aroma.Seed · Bitter · Warm and sweet-spiced
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Cinnamon: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mixed spice: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Char magaz: Miansari66, Public domain, source
- Wattleseed: division, CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chammanthi podi: Ranjithsiji, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vanilla: Everglades National Park, Public domain, source
- Cinnamon sugar: Ed! ( Photography Gallery ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fenugreek: Yak, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nutmeg: Herusutimbul, CC BY-SA 4.0, source