When I was a child we always had cheese on the table at breakfast time, which probably explains my obsession with the stuff and why I’ve ended up owning a cheese business! I didn’t think anything of it until I went to university and discovered that no-one else I knew would consider having cheese for breakfast.
When we went abroad on holidays though, cheese seemed to appear on the breakfast menu. Perhaps my family were more Continental than I previously thought …
I’ve been travelling through Europe for the past few weeks, and in every hotel there has been a selection of cheeses available alongside all the other breakfast options, presented as part of a “Continental” breakfast.
I’d heard that cheese isn’t actually a traditional part of breakfast in most European countries.
So where have we gotten this idea from about serving cheese for breakfast in Europe?
I’ve done a bit of digging and it seems that in France cheese is not usually a part of a typical French breakfast, which tends to be sweet and carby (think croissant and jam with a coffee). However most French hotels rated over 3* will tend to offer a breakfast buffet which includes cheeses along with meats as well as all the sweet/carby choices.
In Italy it’s a similar story, with around 7% of Italians reporting that they prefer a savoury breakfast to a sweet one. In Switzerland the preference tends to be the same, with possibly some cheese but again it’s not a big thing.
In Germany though, there’s more of a preference for savoury choices such as cheese and meats to be served alongside sweet options like jam and honey.
What’s your take on cheese for breakfast? Drop your answers, views and experiences into the comments below …
Lynne
Cheese on toast for breakfast – excellent start to the day. Also cheese with leftover apple pie or fruit crumble. Or with plum bread, a Lincolnshire favourite. You can, of course, eat these at any time okay, but I agree with you, starting the day with cheese is always good.