China
As China is made up of many distinct provinces each with their own unique cuisine, breakfast in China can vary significantly from province to province. In general, basic choices include sweet or salty pancakes, soup, deep fried bread sticks or doughnuts (youtiao), buns, porridge, and fried or soup-based noodles. These options are often accompanied by tea or sweetened soy bean milk. However, condiments for porridge and the soup base tends to vary between provinces and regions. The types of teas that are served and spices that are used can also differ significantly between the provinces.
In Guangdong and Hong Kong, breakfast can include dim sum, which are delicate little snacks that can be steamed, deep fried, and boiled. Due to the difficulty and skill involved in preparation, they are often only prepared at restaurants. Similar to Spanish tapas, dim sum involve countless different ingredients and are prepared in numerous different forms from delicately wrapped baby shrimp steamed dumplings to sweet water chestnut cake. Each dish is designed to be sampled and diners can go through a large selection of dim sum quickly accompanied by a generous amount of good tea. Iron Buddha tea is the most common accompaniment, but other teas such as pu'er and oolong are also common. Fried and rice-based noodles and cakes are generally more popular in this region than in other parts of China.
Due to Western influence in Hong Kong, the city also boasts a large selection of popular breakfast fusion dishes from macaroni and Chinese ham in Chinese chicken broth to Hong Kong-style French toast deep fried and slathered in generous amounts of peanut butter, honey, and butter. Porridge and fried bread sticks are also very popular. However, unlike the rest of China, condiments in breakfast porridge are kept very simple.
Moving north to central and eastern China, soup, fried tofu, and noodles become more popular. Breakfast can also include plain rice porridge accompanied by a variety of side dishes including duck eggs and pickled vegetables.
Moving further north to northern China, wheat-based noodles and more pig fat is used to reflect the climate and conditions of the region. Also popular among the north are steamed buns or guotie stuffed with meat or vegetables.
In addition to dim sum and other breakfast options, one option that is very unique to China and found throughout the country is the zongzi. The zongzi is pyramid-shaped and consists of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves that can contain sweet or savory stuffings. As a result, they can both be served as the main course of a breakfast or as a dessert depending on the ingredients used. They are particularly popular in Zhejiang and the surrounding areas.
Read more about this topic: Ham And Eggs, Asia
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