Raised on buttermilk pancakes, sugary cereals, or bacon and eggs, Americans typically aren’t accustomed to eating vegetable-rich breakfasts. Though we’ve begun incorporating healthier options like avocado toast and matcha overnight oats, we’re still a long way from starting the day with a variety of fresh, raw vegetables eaten with a little bread and cheese as seen in the viral Balkan breakfast videos on TikTok. While it may not resemble a typical American breakfast, this smorgasbord-style meal offers up an assortment of different flavors packed with a bounty of vitamins and nutrients.
Although the trending videos are hardly representative of what everyone eats for breakfast in the Balkans, combining kitchen garden vegetables and herbs with flatbreads and young, brined cheeses like feta or halloumi is not uncommon throughout many Mediterranean countries, as well as in the Middle East. My Iranian father would often spend Saturday mornings breaking his fast with hot tea, and fresh, backyard-grown tomatoes and cucumbers wrapped in lavash with feta, torshi (Persian pickles), and sabzi — an assortment of herbs like basil, radish, mint, and parsley.
Customize your Balkan breakfast with a variety of vegetables
According to a survey conducted by the CDC, only about 10% of Americans meet the daily recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. The Balkan-style breakfast, with its variety of fresh, raw vegetables, incorporates a diverse selection of vitamins and nutrients for a balanced breakfast. Additionally, “eating the rainbow,” or a wide variety of colors, flavors, and textures, stimulates your palate and has an overall effect of making eating more enjoyable.
One of the greatest advantages to this type of meal is that it is fully customizable, allowing one to eat seasonally, affordably, and add nutrients as needed. For example, you could up your protein intake by adding a hard boiled egg or a handful of nuts, or bump up the vitamin C with more red bell peppers or fresh strawberries. Also, feel free to cut up your veggies, serve them on a plate, and use a knife and fork. Or just use your hands if you prefer … we won’t judge!
