In her tricks to help grown-ups eat breakfast, Sarah Rae suggested buying and eating food that you really like. It got me thinking about my most memorable breakfasts, and the fact that they have nothing to do with the oatmeal I usually eat – or forget to eat – each morning. So, this week, I tried something different.
Some of my favorite breakfasts are those spent at the family home of an Armenian friend. We sit around the table for hours, nibbling on an array of meze, or small dishes, as one after another brother, sister, aunt, uncle, or cousin arrives to eat and socialize. Friendship and family are important aspects of these meals, but even in my own home, where I usually make breakfast for one or two, I figured I could at least recreate the culinary aspect.
With those meals as inspiration, I laid out a spread of pita, farmer's cheese, labneh, olives, nuts, cucumbers and tomatoes (in March! – an unexpected treat from my CSA). I didn't have the ingredients to make the lemony fava beans that my friend's family usually serves, but I may add those next time, along with whatever crudités and pickles I happen to have.
The fresh ingredients and various colors, textures, and flavors stimulated my senses, compelling me to slow down and savor each carefully arranged bite. It was the antithesis of a grab-and-go breakfast. And yet, with a little advance preparation – cutting vegetables the night before, making dips and spreads on the weekend, keeping the pantry stocked with olives and nuts – a meze is actually quite simple to prepare. It's a beautiful way to begin the day and, for me, so much more fun that oatmeal!
Do you ever eat a meze-style breakfast?
Related: What Is A Meze?
(Image: Emily Ho)
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when I lived in israel we ate like this. loved it!
One of my fave types of food, and yes, I've eaten it for breakfast. As I'm also getting my daughter put together and fed in the morning, it's actually an easy bkfst to eat. Set it out, eat a few bites in between finding something for her or running back to my closet because I didn't pack my workout stuff or let her go harrass her sleeping dad while I dip pita in something and drink my coffee. Doesn't get cold like oatmeal or toast, or soggy like cereal.
Cheese of any kind, olives, sun dried tomatoes, a dollop of pesto or a drop of quality olive oil on bread - this is not unusual in the Mediterranean. Or prosciutto for non-vegetarians, or a sweet breakfast of bread or yoghurt with home made fruit jam. This is happiness for me. I do also on rare occasions enjoy some fish pate on toast, made from last night's dinner leftovers. If you have access to fresh fish you do not waste it. Don't be shy!
I love this-- I'll "breakfast snack" on hummus, tzatziki and tabbouleh with rye crackers whenever I have them on hand. Like cmcinnyc, I love that it's a breakfast that won't get cold or soggy, since I have to pace my breakfast in the morning.
Now this is my idea of a great breakfast.
Being Armenian, this is how we spend our weekend mornings. Sometimes we'll include eggs and soujuk (spicy sausage) and sometimes just some bread, cheese, tomatoes and olives. It's lovely to be able to sit and enjoy company and good simple food.
the closest I ever came to meza-style was when we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Montreal where they laid out pate, fresh bread, fruit, cheese, yogurt, tea, and muesli for breakfast. It started my love of pate on wheat toast for breakfast--filling without being heavy, earthy and complex, it stays with you. It became my breakfast throughout my pregnancy (rich in iron!) with a glass of fresh orange juice. odd, but very, very tasty.
Seeing this is making me so excited--we're leaving in approximately (exactly) 20 days to stay with friends in Istanbul. They do an extensive version of this for breakfast--the mom is a terrific cook and I'm looking forward to being so full that I have to sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to nibble on baklava-style desserts because that's when I actually have room for them.
Love the idea. Sometimes I'll do a little "breakfast buffet" of a bunch of small portions of whatever is in the fridge - a couple of eggs scrambled with cheese, avocado slices, toast or tortilla warmed up, hummus, baby greens, yogurt with fruit and honey, a small bowl of oatmeal, etc - and we'll just nimble on it with tea and coffee to start the day. It's worked well to get my anti-breakfast boyfriend to like to eat breakfast. It feels so much healthier and more well-rounded of a meal than just making pancakes or something, plus makes it easy to stay on top of using up random foods that are hanging out in the fridge.
What a great suggestion, thanks for sharing! Have to admit I hadn't heard of a meze, though I'm sure it strikes a familiar note somewhere in the back of my mind.
Seeing this reminds me of the spread we ate in Oslo - cheese and meats, three or four different kinds of bread, all kinds of yogurt, jam, butter, muesli, and fresh fruit. It was wonderful.
I have to have something sweet in the morning, so I'm not sure how well I would take to meze, but it sure looks beautiful! I'd be much more likely to eat that for dinner.