Having written recently about types of French bread and baguettes, it occurred to me that while I was on a roll (!!) with these related topics, my next post should be about breakfast in France.

This post was also inspired by one of my favourite blogs: https://bitaboutbritain.com/ Mike writes informatively and eloquently about Britain. There is so much to be enjoyed and learned from reading this blog and I find it very useful for my English conversation lessons.

I was reading a recent blog post, by Mike, about the full British breakfast: https://bitaboutbritain.com/the-full-british-breakfast/ As a fan of the ‘full English’, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece which made me feel extremely hungry!

Mike starts by asking: Does your breakfast have a nationality? This got me thinking about what constitutes a French breakfast. Is it the same as a ‘Continental’ breakfast?

Of course, the stereotypical French breakfast is coffee and croissants. However, in my experience, the French don’t eat croissants every morning. They are far more likely to save them for the weekend.

A typical French breakfast is likely to consist of coffee, usually with milk but not necessarily, and a slice of baguette with butter and jam – known as a ‘tartine’. This, of course, is the most basic interpretation and there are lots of variations. Tea, herbal teas or infusions, hot chocolate and fruit juice may also be drunk. Nutella could be the spread of choice and yoghurt, or cereals may also be eaten.

Generalisations can always be a little dangerous but, I think it is fair to say that breakfast in France is not the most important meal of the day. I would suggest that lunch holds that title! The clue might be in the French for breakfast – ‘le petit-déjeuner’ – literally a little lunch. Savoury items do not usually feature either in a French breakfast, not even an omelette!

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Are there savoury items included in a ‘Continental’ breakfast? I would say ‘yes’, but my main experience of Continental breakfasts has been in hotels. In this case, they are usually presented buffet style and include all the elements of a French breakfast but with the addition of cooked cold meats such as ham, plus a variety of cheeses, hard boiled eggs etc.

I decided to see what the dictionary definition of a Continental breakfast might be. According to the Cambridge Dictionary it is ‘a simple morning meal consisting of fruit juice, coffee, and bread with butter and jam’. Sounds very similar to a French breakfast!

My breakfast of choice is a healthy one, fruit and natural yoghurt, with seeds, in the summer and porridge in the winter. My guilty breakfast pleasure, when in France, is an almond croissant!

What about you, what do you have for breakfast – full English, French or Continental? Knowing that some of you who read this (thanks!) live all over the world, it’s quite likely that your breakfast choices are completely different. It would be very interesting to know what you eat or perhaps you don’t breakfast at all?! I’d love to know.