Brekkie - Oceania - Australia

Australia

Prior to the Second World War and the widespread adoption of household refrigerators, the traditional Australian breakfast consisted of grilled steaks and fried eggs, mainly because of the ready availability of beefsteak during that period. While very few Australians today would recall this breakfast format, the steak-and-eggs breakfast has survived as the customary pre-landing breakfast of the United States Marine Corps, due to the Marines having copied it from Australian soldiers when the two countries campaigned together during the Pacific War.

The majority of urban Australians eat cold commercially prepared cereal with pasteurised milk or yogurt and/or toast with preserves such as marmalade or vegemite for breakfast. Two of the most common cereals are cornflakes and a type of biscuit made from wheat, called Weet-bix. Fruit is also common at breakfast, either on the cereal or eaten separately. This weekday morning meal is often eaten "on the run" which means either in the kitchen or while getting ready for the day's activities, and children often skip breakfast. While not unusual, a cooked breakfast is more likely to be eaten in the weekends or on special occasions either at home or at a cafe. A cooked breakfast is usually egg based, but may also include sausage, bacon, breakfast steaks, mushrooms, tomato, hash browns and pancakes, similar to the British cooked breakfast but perhaps more like the American. Breakfast habits differ more between age groups than between cities. Black tea prepared with milk is a typical drink served with the Australian "brekkie" or freshly brewed coffee, but other beverages are common too, such as juice.