Breakfast

I skip breakfast often due to bleak variety and the belief I’ll somehow lose weight if I starve myself. This is not good for my health, I understand. Danimals yogurt in some way compressed into squeezable tubes, Bisquick pancakes with powdered sugar and regret, that classic plastic bottle Aunt Jemima maple syrup found in the clearance aisle of your local grocery store, all enticing breakfast possibilities, but I would rather eat a steak. Americans have fallen into the abyss of glutinous monotony, embracing only sugar and well, sugar, denying the likability of what breakfast savory brings the rest of the world. Pancakes are delicious. Apple corn syrup infused chutney isn’t. I’m very particular and detest anything cloy at 9:00 or so in the morning.

Italians eat capicola and mortadella if prompted by hunger, washed down with a doppio espresso, when it comes to morning offerings. Congee or rice porridge is quite popular in China as a breakfast alternative. Shakshuka, a dish composed of spicy tomatoes and egg, is sought-after in Tunisia. But Americans, well, we have Eggo Waffles, if lucky, paired with a glass of two-percent milk. Convenience plays a substantial role in the impact of American breakfast.

The etymology of breakfast is quite simple as the word in English refers to breaking the fast of the prior night. It makes sense 53% of Americans skip breakfast at least once a week, according to an Instantly poll interviewing a range of 10,000 participants. Although the notion of breakfast being the most important meal of the day is culturally widespread, epidemiological research prompts otherwise. The meal plan of consuming breakfast on a daily basis high in carbohydrates may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. The American breakfast diet makes excluding carbohydrates extremely inconvenient.

If you’re in the least bit health conscious, as well as disappointed with the American breakfast diet you’re not alone. I was just like you until a Wikipedia search. As much as I resent resorting to Wikipedia, a simple search of “breakfast” provided me with a detailed description of various world breakfast cuisine. Using this as a baseline for further culinary exploration, I’ll now disclose my favorite recipe from the search.

Following my guidelines of something with low-carb merit as well as a significant absence of anything cloyingly sweet, I came across Menemen. Menemen is a Turkish breakfast dish quite similar to Shakshuka, except eggs are scrambled instead of remaining sunny side up. The base is composed of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and a slew of other fragrant spices. Recipes vary, some include cured meats like sujuk, which is a form of garlic sausage. Others involve beyaz peynir, a type of brined cheese with characteristics similar to that of feta cheese. Like most breakfast foods, add-ons are preferential and differ from cook to cook.

How To Make Menemen:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 small white onion, diced

3 green, mild Turkish peppers

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced 4 large tomatoes, chopped

5 eggs

Place butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat.

Once butter has dissolved add white onion, garlic and saute till translucent. Add Turkish pepper and saute till fragrant and soft.

Add the garlic and allow to fry briefly before adding the chopped tomatoes. Depending on the juiciness of your tomatoes and how thick or liquidy you want the end result to be, allow for 5-15 minutes of cooking time.

Beat the eggs together in a bowl. Slowly add the beaten eggs to the skillet, folding gently into tomato mixture but take care not to stir too much. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the egg whites are barely opaque.

Place upon some form of serving vessel