Traditional Breakfasts Around Thedas

Across Thedas, having breakfast is commonplace. However, this meal is varied from place to place.

Observance

Antiva

Antivans don't spend much time on breakfast — in fact, they rarely even sit down for their first meal of the day. To call it a meal may be a bit misleading, as it usually consists of a quick coffee and a sweet, desert-like food.
Found most commonly around Antiva's coastline, a breakfast treat known as chusso has become a favorite amongst Antivans and foreigners who visit the area, alike. Chusso is a long, fried piece of dough often served with a cup of thick chocolate sauce. Most foreigners prefer chusso that is drenched in sugar and cinnamon, but Antivans wholly believe that it detracts from the sauce and opt to limit the amount of sugar on the chusso itself. Many different varietals of chusso exist and in different regions Antivans prefer different tastes and textures for their chusso.

Avvar

Living high up in mountains does not mean that the Avvar neglect breakfast. Instead, they generally start their day together as a clan, or if their clan is to sizable they'll at least all have breakfast together as a family. They'll usually have a balanced breakfast consisting of oats, nuts, honey, strawberries, and lightly seasoned potatoes. This helps provide them a balance of nutrients to support their intensely active lifestyle.

Chasind

Chasind Wilder live off what roams in the marshes of the Korcari Wilds. Rice-like vegetation grows in excess around rivers and lakes in their region. A normal breakfast is made using these rices mixed together with seeds and small, tart berries.
If children went out looking along the waterlines and were able to find shellfish the day before, this is often enjoyed with this meal. Combining all of these makes the dish of madhyit.

Dalish

Dalish prefer to start their day off by eating canella, which is a sourdough flatbread rolled together into a small cylindrical shape. Its texture is spongy and soft. Canella is usually glazed with halla butter.
Their meal is very small, as they eat very little throughout the entire day.

Goliath

Ful medanis is a bean stew that is simple to make and whose ingredients store for long periods of time. Garlic, lemon, and cumin are copiously mixed into the dish. Other garnishes like peppers, lemons, fish, or or even beef are are also sometimes included. This is regularly consumed by Goliaths for breakfast.

Ferelden

Potanin has become a staple in the barbarian lands. It follows the long tradition of using leftover bread as the next day's meal. This warm, comforting breakfast is a nostalgic favorite of many Fereldens. It's not quite a porridge and not quite a bread pudding, but shares characteristics of both. Warm milk or tea is poured over a bowl of cubed bread, crumbled creamy cheese, butter, and sugar, and left to soak until soft and spoonable.
Its not always the case that a Ferelden has enough time to prepare such things, however. Stemming from the influence of the Orlesians during their occupation of Ferelden, many Ferelden breakfasts rely upon either hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs served with spices of one's choosing.

Free Marches

Due to the excess of land for which to raise animals in the Free Marches, it should come as no surprise that meat has become a staple in a Marcher's breakfasts. Nobles often feast on larger buffet spreads featuring sausages, turkey, cheeses, bread, and rolls as well as fruit, soft-boiled eggs, and homemade jams.
Those of less wealthy standings have sweet breakfasts relying upon the same fresh fruits as well as cheaper cuts of meat. Usually there's plenty of fruit to go around and it's quite common to take the leftovers with you when you leave home for the day.
On special occasions, Free Marchers will partake in gento which is a thick, sweet pastry made by mixing barley flour with boiling water. The sticky dough is shaped into a mound with a well in the center. Sugar is sprinkled over the pastry. Yogurt is usually added to the center of the well.

Nevarra

Nevarra has some of the wildest weather found across Thedas. Born from having to stay indoors during storms or tornadoes and thus not having access to ingredients all the time (particularly when tornadoes strike), meskit is a great way to break a night's fast. Meskit are pancake-like breads that are made by rolling out dough as thinly as possible on an oiled surface before folding it to create eight layers. This alone serves as a versatile breakfast food since it can be matched with whatever exists in the house: butter, honey, jam, vegetables, or even meats. It takes little ingredients to make meskit and it also lasts an incredibly long amount of time before going bad.
Nevarran breakfasts generally rely upon having a meskit or two filled with whatever can be found around the house, mint tea, and a small pastry which can be easily bought from the many street merchants. Nevarrans eat copious amounts of food in their diet.

Orlais

Orlesians are broken into two camps when it comes to breakfast. This divide has mostly come from the socio-economic rift that exists in the empire.
Those who are well off usually enjoy eggs, either hard-boiled or scrambled, and bacon. If they feel as though they might need to exert more energy in the day, they might also have a biscuit with gravy. It's also not uncommon for them to brew coffees imported from Antiva.
The Orlesians who are less well-off have shorter breakfasts due to their on-the-go nature. It's common for them to toast a circular piece of bread and glaze it with cream cheese. This allows them to make a quick meal that only requires one hand to eat, so they can continue going about their morning unobstructed.
A recent informal census in the empire found that the most popular breakfast food in Val Royeaux was a light and flaky pastry that has sweet, but rather mild undertones. This is known as a chapelure.

Orzammar

The Dwarves of Orzammar rarely partake in breakfast. The closest meal that could be considered as such would be a stew served with a nug egg served on the side. The egg is drank raw and is considered quite delectable.

Rivain

Rivaini breakfasts fall squarely onto the savory side of the food spectrum. Much of what they eat for breakfast isn't terribly different from what they might have for other meals throughout the day.
Breakfasts will generally consist of salmon or mackerel, seasoned with the spices recently bartered for. Pickled vegetables, sea weed, and rice are all represented. There's also ganalatchi which is a slightly sweet rolled omelet made from thin layers of fish egg. These foods help to provide a lot of energy for a long, active day ahead.

Primary Related Location

Thedas