You know what they say: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But if you’re bored of toast and over oats, it might be time to start thinking about trying something new, and the hottest option for 2025 is the Balkan breakfast. Like all good trends in the 2020s, the Balkan breakfast can trace its current popularity back to TikTok, where searches for the dish have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
What is a Balkan breakfast?
Although it’s broadly defined as deriving from the Balkan region, as ever with TikTok trends, it’s best to take any implications of authenticity with a pinch of salt. As in, it’s likely a creative spin on what people in some but not all of the Balkan countries traditionally consume. Foods included tend to be whole and/or raw: think raw vegetables, bread, meat and cheese. “Starting your day with vegetables, meat, cheese, eggs, and a bit of whole grain carbohydrates is great,” says Helena Barham, nutritional therapist, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of Nourish&Be. “The protein and fiber content contributes to satiety, so it helps to stave off the mid-morning energy crash, keeping you satisfied until lunch.”
One of the defining characteristics of the Balkan breakfast flooding social media is the charcuterie-style “picky” serving style. The Balkan breakfast requires little to no cooking or creative input—think of it as your morning answer to girl dinner.
Put down the pots and pans
Fresh vegetables, primarily peppers and tomatoes, are a mainstay in the Balkan breakfast, which is good news on the fiber front. “Fiber is generally great for the gut, and most of the population don’t eat enough fiber or vegetables,” says Barham. If you want to be authentic, then ditch the knife and chopping board and chomp on the fruit whole (seeds included). “I love starting my day with raw veg, especially in summer when the weather is warmer. It just feels lighter,” says Barham. “In winter, I feel that starting a cold day with cold veg is a bit harsh on the system. Help your gut out by chewing your food properly, especially raw vegetables, which take a bit more effort for our bodies to digest. I would [also] opt to dress it in lemon juice to help digestion.”
Slightly less appealing? The raw white onions and garlic cloves that some fans like to include. But according to Barham, if you can stomach a raw onion, the sulphur will do you good. “Raw onions may have extra benefits over cooked onions, as some of their nutrients (vitamins and antioxidants) are depleted during the cooking process,” she says. “Raw onions have higher levels of sulphur compounds, which are great for detoxification and blood sugar regulation.”
Lean into fermented foods
If your new year goal is to take better care of your gut health, you’ll be pleased to hear that fermented pickles and kefir, all of which are packed with beneficial bacteria to reinstate better balance in your gut microbiome, are key to a Balkan breakfast. The addition of sirene cheese, a salty brined cheese that’s similar in flavour and texture to feta, represents more good news on the fermentation front.
But watch out for added sugar…
Although pickles can be a healthy addition to your meal, many shop-bought varieties contain lots of added sugar. If you don’t want to make your own, then look out for labels that say zero or low sugar. The same goes for another Balkan staple, cured meats, which, as well as being highly processed, are often full of hidden sugar. If you want to be traditional, add slanina, a smoked pork belly, or sujuk, a spicy cured sausage, to your shopping list—just make sure you don’t consume too much of either on a regular basis. “Cured meats are associated with increased cancer risk, in part because of the polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) infused to the meat during the smoking process,” says Barham. “But life is a balancing act, and we are inundated with toxins every day, so choose your battles. I wouldn’t say don’t eat cured or smoked meats (I think they are delicious), but moderation is key. I [just] wouldn’t recommend eating them every day.”
The same goes for the chunk of crusty white bread that appears on many a #BalkanBreakfast snap. “Most of the bread in this country would probably not be recognised as bread 100 years ago,” explains Barham. “It is made using the chorleywood bread process, and uses a mix of emulsifiers and foams, and is also much higher in gluten than it used to be, [which] can irritate the gut lining.” If you are keen to include bread, switch it up for a more nutritious alternative. “Sourdough is much better as it has been fermented,” suggests Barham. “Going for wholegrain or darker varieties adds in extra fibre which is great for gut health, and choosing a loaf with seeds is a way to add extra nutrients to a meal.”
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