How to add a Middle Eastern flavour to your breakfast

For most people, the food we eat doesn’t change very much from day to day. We find something or some things we like, and we order or cook them all the time. This can be efficient but it can also get a bit boring. If you are tired of eating the same food all the time, it may be time to try out some new recipes or adopt a whole new cuisine.

If the latter seems daunting, don’t despair, you can gently branch out into Middle Eastern cuisine. You can bring the rich Middle Eastern flavours to your regular meals without changing the recipes in a big way. Let’s start with breakfast.

Eggs

Eggs are one of the most popular breakfast foods in the world. However, there are a finite number of egg recipes and you may feel like you have tried them all. Before you settle for eating scrambled eggs yet again, consider adding a little sumac. Sumac is a deep red powder from the berries of the rhus shrub. It is slightly tangy and has fruity notes and it will change how you see scrambled eggs.

Just scramble your eggs as you regularly do, dust them with some sumac and enjoy. You can also totally transform boiled eggs by sprinkling some sumac on them before you eat.

Bread

Bread is yet another popular breakfast food that you can bring a Middle Eastern flavour to. This will require you to totally swap your regular bread for a flat bread such as pita. Add a little olive mixed with flavoured herbs like thyme or rosemary and you will have gotten your healthy fat intake by breakfast time.

But if you are still tied to your regular bread and are unwilling to let it go, what about changing your bread spread? Instead of the much tried butter or jam, try a hummus, tahini or any of the delicious Middle Eastern dips and sauces.

Yoghurt

Labneh is a thick Middle Eastern yogurt which just happens to be richer in protein than regular yogurt. It can also be eaten in a number of different ways. First, you can have it with some nuts for a chewy and healthy breakfast or mid-morning snack.

You may want to try your morning cereal out with Labneh instead of with milk or your regular yogurt. You can spread it on your pita bread. But if you don’t want to be adventurous, you can try Labneh on its own, drizzled with a little lemon juice.  

Labneh truly shines with fruit. Go ahead and drop just about any fruit from pineapple to mango and apples into some Labneh and enjoy a whole new flavour. For that extra something special, grill some of the fruit lightly before mixing it with the Labneh.