I mean which continent does that refer to? What is the menu generally like?
Generally the term refers to European cooking, or more specifically non-English European cooking.
Food of an area/region depends mainly on the climatic comditions of that place..and depending on that there is vegetation or cattle farming...and there comes the food they eat.
Continental Food , on the whole could be considered as Intenational Cuisine,particularly British, Australia, New Zealand, American.
These places may nt have a distinguished cuisine of their own, and also are very similar in some way or the other..in terms of Taste, ingredients used, spices used, flavousings, herbs and method of cooking....baked, grilled, stuffed, sauteed,…
Regional food generally becomes popular or famous when there is appreciation for that cuisine and then comes the demand for it...for example Chinese Cuisine. Cuisines of Korea , Thailand or Malaysia may all be clubbed as Chinese, because of the similarity in their styles of cuisine...though there are very different in their own way.
Similarly there is Asian Cuisine which includes Indian, Pakistani and Sri-lankian..again similarity in their cuisine...but different in some way or the other.
Middle East Cuisine includes Lebanese. Moroccan, Afgani.......
On the other hand there is Italian Cooking....which is a blend in itself....abt 10-15 provinces there in Italy make Italian Cuisine..again depending o the climatic conditions and vegetation in those regions.
If ever there has been a Classy Cooking Style...it has been French cuisine....very old, Beautiful presentation, may not be simple....but very elegant, full of flavours.
In Modern days, continental cuisine has probably come to terms with a blend of all these international cuisines together....and all worth a touch of French Class.
Continental cuisine, in short can be catogarised as cuisine involving bakes, grills, stews, barbeques...where a lot of fresh herbs are used for flavouiring, and the chilly factor is minimal...though there are prearations in particulas which use the Spiciest of Chillies also :)
That is not continental food --- you mean continental breakfast. It refers to the differences of haveing breakfast between GB and continental Europe. The British have a very complex breakfast.
We from the continent have one roll with jam or honey, one roll with cheese and a boiled egg and coffee.
Continental breakfast
Continental breakfast is a meal based on lighter Mediterranean breakfast traditions. It is a light meal meant to satisfy one until lunch. A typical continental breakfast consists of coffee and milk (often mixed as cappuccino or latte) or hot chocolate with a variety of sweet cakes such as brioche and pastries such as croissants, often with a sweet jam, cream, or chocolate filling. It is often served with juice. The continental breakfast may also include sliced cold meats, such as salami or ham, yogurt or cereal. Some countries of Europe, such as the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia, add fruit and cheese to the bread menu and occasionally a boiled egg or a small serving of salami.
The continental breakfast concept is not limited to Europe and is often served throughout the world in hotel chains. The term itself is of British origin. "The continent" in Britain refers to the countries of continental Europe. A "continental breakfast" thus denotes the type of lighter meal served in continental Europe, as opposed to the "full" English breakfast.
[edit] Northern Europe
• Belgium. A typical Belgian breakfast is like that of its northern neighbor, the Netherlands. Belgians do not eat their most famous food, Belgian waffles, which are traditionally sold in tourist areas of large cities, and are eaten as a snack. The breakfast in Belgium consists of breads, toasted or untoasted, with several marmalades, jams, and nut spreads, such as Nutella or just with a bar of chocolate. Other common toppings include sliced meats and cheeses. Pastries and croissants may be served on Sundays, but are mostly not eaten on weekdays. Belgians often enjoy coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water, or fresh juice with breakfast.
• Denmark. A typical breakfast in Denmark consists of cereals or bread, bread rolls (rundstykker), cheeses, fruit preserves (marmelade, usually made from berries or citrus fruits) and other toppings, accompanied by skimmed milk, tea or coffee. Weekends or festive occasions may call for Danish pastries (wienerbrød) or a bitters, such as Gammel Dansk.[8]
• Sweden. Breakfast in Sweden is generally a sandwich made of a large amount of different types of soft bread or crisp bread, cold cuts, caviar, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese, eggs, scrambled or boiled, tomatoes or cucumber, or a toast with marmalade or maybe honey, juices, coffee, hot chocolate or tea. Breakfast cereals or muesli with milk, yoghurt or filmjölk, currants and fruits are popular or warm whole-grain porridge with milk and jam, (for example lingonberry jam). Pâté (leverpastej) with pickled cucumber, blueberry-soup (blåbärssoppa) and rose hip soup is also possible sometimes for breakfast.
• Finland. Breakfast usually consists of open sandwiches. The sandwich is often buttered (with margarine), with toppings such as hard cheese or cold cuts. Finns usually do not have sweets on their breads such as jam (like the French and the Americans), or chocolate (like the Danes). Sour milk products such as yogurt or viili are also common breakfast foods, usually served in a bowl with cereals such as corn flakes, muesli, and sometimes with sugar, fruit or jam. A third food that is commonly eaten at breakfast is porridge (puuro), often made of rolled oats, and eaten with a pat of butter (voisilmä, lit. "butter eye") and/or with milk, or fruit or jam, especially the sort made of raspberries or strawberries (sometimes lingonberries). Drinks are milk, juice, tea, or coffee.
• Scandinavia. Breakfasts in other parts of Scandinavia can be quite ample. Fish, cheese, eggs, bacon, hot and cold cereals, breads, potatoes, and fruits are all eaten in various combinations, along with juices, coffee, and tea. or kulturmelk (Norway), a cultured milk similar to buttermilk or yogurt is often eaten with cereals. Whole-grain porridges with regular milk or butter are popular. A funny thing in the Scandinavian languages is that the word for breakfast in Swedish language/Norwegian language ("frukost" = early meal) means lunch in Danish. The Danish language word for breakfast is "morgenmad" (= morning meal).
• Netherlands. The Dutch typically eat sliced bread with three choices of toppings: dairy products (numerous variations of cheese), a variety of cured and sliced meats, or sweet or semi-sweet products such as jam, peanut butter or chocolate toppings (hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles), chocoladevlokken (chocolate flakes) and chocolate spread). Some typical, but less common products are apple syrup, honey, stroop (lesser known as bebogeen, a very sweet caramel topping made from sugar beets) and kokosbrood (a coconut product that is served thinly sliced like sliced cheese; also known as Cocosbread). Furthermore are breakfast cereals or muesli popular, served with milk or yoghurt. Tea, drip coffee, milk, and juice are the most popular breakfast beverages. Breakfast may also include (for instance on Sundays) boiled eggs, raisin bread, pumpernickel, ontbijtkoek or croissants.
• Russia. With the cold climate breakfasts tend to be substantial. Zavtrak may consist of hot oatmeal or kasha, eggs, cheese, cured meats or sausage, rye breads with butter (butterbrods), and coffee or tea.
[edit] Central and eastern Europe
• Germany & Austria. The typical German breakfast consists of bread rolls, butter, jam, ham, soft-boiled eggs and coffee. Cereals have become popular, and regional variation is significant — cheeses, cold cuts, meat spreads, yogurt, granola and fruit (fresh or stewed) may appear, as well as eggs cooked to order (usually at smaller hotels or bed-and-breakfasts). A second breakfast is traditional in parts of Germany, notably Bavaria (there also called Brotzeit, literally "bread time").
• Hungary. Hungarians usually have a large breakfast. It consists of bread, bread rolls or crescent-shaped bread (kifli), toast, pastries with different fillings (sweet and salty as well), butter, jam or honey, eggs in different forms (fried/scrambled/omelette, etc.), salami, cold cuts, cheeses, hot dogs with mustard, tea, coffee or milk. Fruit juice in the morning is not that usual, hot drinks are more common. Hungarians sometimes have rice pudding called tejberizs or cream of wheat tejbegriz, usually eaten with cocoa powder or cinnamon sugar. Lecsó made from tomatoes and green peppers can sometimes be a breakfast meal as well, mainly in the summer.
• Poland. Traditional, weekend breakfast may consist of scrambled or fried eggs, or curd cheese with herbs (twarozek), sandwiches or "milk soup" - cereals with milk or in some regions milk with broken bread; regional alternatives include pancakes, salads or sandwiches with various pastes (fish paste, egg paste, etc.) Black pudding or sausage is sometimes eaten, usually by itself. Modern breakfast consists of a meat, cheese or jam sandwich, with coffee (roasted grain beverage is still popular), tea, kefir or soured milk, or juice as a beverage. Second breakfast, which replaces lunch at work, is similar or identical the actual breakfast.
• Romania. The traditional Romanian breakfast consists of bread, cold plates such as mortadella and cheese, feta cheese, cucumber, tomatoes and eggs prepared as an omelette or sunny side up. Also, black coffee or tea usually are served. In addition, natural juice or yogurt are always[citation needed] taken in as an option.
• Switzerland. Swiss breakfasts are often similar to those eaten in neighboring countries. A notable breakfast food of Swiss origin, now found throughout Europe, is muesli.
[edit] Southern Europe
• France. In France a typical domestic breakfast will consist of cups of coffee, often café au lait, or hot chocolate, usually served in big bowls, accompanied by a glass of orange or grapefruit juice. The main food consists of sweet products such as tartines (slices of baguette or other breads spread with butter, jam or chocolate paste), sometimes dunked in the hot drink. Brioches and other pastries such as croissants, pains au chocolat and pains aux raisins are also traditional. Other products such as breakfast cereals, fruit compote, fromage blanc, and yogurt are becoming increasingly common as part of the meal. A typical French breakfast does not include any savory product.
• Greece. Various kinds of pastry constitute the traditional Greek breakfast. Tyropita, spanakopita, and bougatsa (particularly in Northern Greece) are eaten, usually accompanied with Greek coffee. Simpler breakfasts include honey, marmalade or nutella cream (as well a Greek variation thereof, Merenda) spread over slices of bread. Children typically drink chocolate or plain milk.
• Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia. Breakfast usually consists of various kinds of savory or sweet pastry, with cheese, meat or jam filling. The most typical breakfast consists of two slices of burek and a glass of ayran. Breakfast also often consists of open sandwiches. The sandwich is buttered (with margarine), with toppings such as prosciutto and yellow cheese.
• Turkey In Turkey, breakfast consists of fresh white sourdough bread, white cheese (feta), yellow cheese (kaşar), fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, black and/or green olives, butter, honey, clotted water buffalo cream (kaymak) preserves, soujouk, salami, pastirma and a boiled egg — all accompanied by hot black tea in small tulip-shaped glasses. Breakfasts can be very elaborate for company or on weekends, and may include a variety of breads, pastries, and spreads, and several fresh fruits and vegetables in season, but the essential breakfast ingredients for almost every Turk on a daily basis are bread, cheese, olives, and tea.
• Italy. The traditional breakfast in Italy is simply Caffè e latte (hot coffee with milk) with bread or rolls, butter, and jam — known as prima colazione or just colazione. Fette biscottate (a cookie-like hard bread often eaten with butter and jam) and biscotti (cookies) are commonly eaten. Children drink hot chocolate, plain milk, or hot milk with very little coffee. If breakfast is eaten in a bar (coffee shop), it is composed of cappuccino e brioche (frothed hot milk with coffee, and a pastry). It is very common for Italians[who?] to have a quick breakfast snack during the morning (typically a panino, or bread roll).
• Malta. On the island of Malta breakfast is similar to that of Britain. Usually the Maltese start their day with a bowl of cereal mixed with milk, or with a cup of either coffee or tea. Toasted bread with butter, marmalade/jams or even nutella is also very common.Today cereal bars are becoming also a common type of breakfast on the island. The traditional English breakfast with eggs, sausages and fried bacon is also popular in Malta especially during the weekend.
• Spain. The Spanish word for "breakfast", "desayuno", means "de-fast", breaking the fast. In French,"déjeuner" is "lunch", and "breakfast" is known as "petit déjeuner" or "déjeuner du matin". In Central Spain the traditional breakfast is chocolate con churros — hot chocolate with Spanish-style fritters, which are extruded sticks of doughnut-like dough with a star-shaped profile. The chocolate drink is made very thick and sweet. In Madrid, churros are somewhat smaller and shaped like a charity ribbon. This meal is normally served in cafeterias. In the South and West it is more common to have a cup of coffee (usually with milk) and a toast with a choice of olive oil and salt, tomato and olive oil, butter, jam, pâté, jamón serrano (cured ham), and other options like sobrasada (a raw cured spiced sausage that is easy to spread), and in Andalucia, pringá. Freshly squeezed orange juice is widely available in most places as an alternative for coffee. The breakfast is not often larger than these two items, because usually in late morning there is a break known as almuerzo when there is a snack. Sometimes, toast is replaced with galletas (a type of cookies made with flour, sugar, oil and vanilla flavour), magdalenas (a Spanish version of the French madeleine made with oil instead of butter) or buns.
• Portugal. A Portuguese pequeno-almoço comes in two varieties: one eaten running to work and another, more time-consuming one, more common on the weekends. When rushed in the morning, a cup of yogurt, milk, coffee or both and some bread with butter, cheese or jam suffices. Given the time, additions include orange juice, croissants, different kinds of pastry, and/or cereal.
[edit] United Kingdom and Ireland
Main article: Full breakfast
Traditionally, people in the United Kingdom and Ireland have enjoyed a substantial hot meal for breakfast, featuring eggs, bacon, and sausages, accompanied by toast and tea or coffee. These items are sometimes eaten separately on morning rolls. In Britain, this was traditionally known as an English breakfast, but many Welsh and Scottish increasingly refer to English breakfasts as Welsh or Scottish breakfasts, which can be confusing for tourists. Many other items (for example kedgeree, grilled or fried tomatoes, black pudding or white pudding, baked beans, fried sliced bread, various types of fried potatoes and mushrooms) may be included, depending on taste and location. Today, this dish remains popular, but is not usually served at breakfast time during the week. Many people instead reserve the full cooked breakfast for weekends, or go to a café or pub for it at the weekend. A full breakfast is also a meal available any time at many cafés and greasy spoons. It is also served at hotels, where it can be quite substantial in size and variety. The author Somerset Maugham once quipped "the only way to eat well in England is to have breakfast three times a day." This is sometimes quoted as the origin of the term, and indeed meal, all-day breakfast.[citation needed]
Another popular breakfast food in England is the kipper, a type of salted, smoked herring that is then grilled or fried, though in England at least, usually steamed.
This traditional cooked breakfast has largely been replaced by simple, light foods mainly eaten cold: fruit, yogurt, packaged cereal with cold milk, and toast with a variety of spreads such as butter, jam, marmalade, lemon curd, Marmite, or peanut butter. Boiled eggs with soldiers are also a popular breakfast meal in the UK, although like the full English breakfast, they are mainly eaten at the weekend. Porridge is a traditional breakfast in Scotland as well as the rest of Britain in the winter months. In most British hotels, this breakfast is included in the room rate.[citation needed]
In Scotland traditional dishes include porridge, potato scones, and black pudding. Potato scones are descended from Ireland and consist of mashed potato mixed with flour to create a type of scone. Black pudding is made from animal meat and blood.
[edit] Latin America
Latin American breakfasts feature many items seen in North American and continental European breakfasts in regional variations, according to their own culture.
In northern South America, maize-based breads, such as tortillas or arepas, may dominate or be augmented with wheat breads or pastries. Caffè, caffè e latte, chocolate, and tea are common beverages.
[edit] Argentina
In Argentina and Uruguay, breakfast consists mainly of espresso coffee, café con leche, or yerba mate. There are also croissants, brioches, or facturas with dulce de leche, filled churros, French bread with jam and butter, grilled sandwiches of ham and cheese known as tostados, and sweet cookies or crackers.
[edit] Brazil
Brazilians use the term café-da-manhã (morning coffee) or, less often, desjejum (des-, un + jejum, fast, fasting) to refer to breakfast. Morning meals are different in the various regions of Brazil. Black coffee, cow milk, yogurt and white cheese are quite popular, and so are fruit juices (especially orange, guava, mango, cashew and passion fruit). The coffee or juice accompanies french bread or sliced bread with jam or butter, grilled sandwiches of ham and cheese called misto-quente, slices of cake such as corn cake, orange cake and carrot cake. As for children, the most popular are sweet cookies or crackers with jam, toasts with fruit compote called tostadinha or torrada com geléia/compota accompanying chocolate milk or hot chocolate,"mingau", a hot porridge made with cow's milk, corn starch, sugar and vanilla with cinnamon sprinkled on top, as well as cornflakes or sucrilhos (frosted flakes) with milk. In the Southern States, adults use to drink a steaming yerba mate infusion in a typical gourd, called chimarrão. The cold version is called tereré.
[edit] Chile
In Chile, breakfast is a light meal consisting of milk, coffee or tea, juice (typically orange), and two types of bread: marraqueta and hallulla, or toasts. They are accompanied with marmalade, manjar (dulce de leche), butter, cheese, ham, margerine, eggs, avocado, cream or jelly.
[edit] Costa Rica
In Costa Rica breakfast is traditionally Gallo Pinto which is black beans and rice. Some people may add natilla (sour cream),Salsa Lizano (a sauce commonly used in Costa Rican cuisine) and a corn tortilla. Black coffee or coffee with milk are the preferred beverages, although orange juice is also common. Another traditional drink is "Aguadulce", made from sugar cane syrup which is warmed up in water or milk. Usually breakfasts are complimented with things like avocado, fried ripe plantain, ham or some type of cold meat like sausages or salchichón, cheese, bread, eggs, etc.
[edit] Colombia
In Colombia there are various breakfast staples. In the Cundinamarca region people eat changua: a soup of milk, scallions, and cheese. In the Tolima region, a tamal tolimense is eaten in the company of hot chocolate and arepas. Tamales tolimenses are made with rice, dry legumes, beef, chicken and pork, egg, potato, and seasonings, covered with a maize dough, cooked while wrapped in a banana leaf. In Antioquia the usual fare includes arepa (arepa antioqueña, a typically home-made corn bread), with either cheese, fried eggs, or fried meat as well as hot chocolate as drink.
[edit] Cuba
Breakfast in urban areas traditionally consisted of café con leche that was sweetened and included a pinch of salt. Toasted buttered Cuban bread, cut into lengths, was dunked in the coffee. In rural Cuba, farmers ate roasted pork, beans and white rice, café con leche and cuajada sweetened with caramel.[9]
[edit] Dominican Republic
In Dominican Republic the main dish for breakfast is called mangu (mashing boiled plantains). It is prepared with ground plantain mixed with butter and is usually eaten with salami, fried cheese, eggs (fried eggs or scrambled eggs). This dish is usually accompanied by cafe con leche, hot chocolate, or juice. Another main breakfast dish is the sandwich, prepared with cheese, ham, salami, or scrambled eggs. This is often accompanied with coffee, hot chocolate or juice. To make this particular sandwich the Dominican people use a bread called pan de agua (water bread—a simple bread made with water, flour, yeast, and salt). Other kinds of bread are also used to make this simple meal.
[edit] Ecuador
In Ecuador breakfast depends on the region it is served. Along the Pacific Coast (litoral), breakfast mainly consists of strong black coffee brewed in a special little aluminium pot (café de olla), fried plantain and white hard cheese made locally. It can include also an omelette and fresh fruit juices. In the highlands (Sierra), breakfast may include some black coffee or herbal teas (infusiones) with some fresh bread rolls, scrambled eggs and even a kind of corn called mote.
[edit] Guatemala
In Guatemala they eat scrambled eggs with frijoles (beans) and tortillas with some chesse, fried banana and sometimes chirmol (tomato sauce with condiments).
[edit] Mexico
In the past, when Mexico's population was predominantly rural and agricultural, breakfast tradition included a light desayuno of hot beverages and breads at dawn and a heavier almuerzo mid-morning, with egg dishes such as huevos rancheros,chilaquiles, meats, beans, tortillas, pastries, and fruits. Commercial cereals are widely spread now, and consumed in the belief of nutrition factors, regarding of it being a product of marketing. Today, almuerzo generally means "lunch," and the Mexican breakfast may be the lighter or heavier version, depending on the person or occasion. Menudo, a tripe stew considered a folk remedy for a hangover, has become a breakfast dish as well as one eaten at other meals.
As in other countries, breakfast in Mexico differs according to the region. In the north it is usual to eat salchicha con huevo (scrambled eggs with hot dog) or machaca con huevo (scrambled eggs with beef jerky, in some places also called machacado), these with wheat tortillas. In the central and southern regions of the country, corn tortillas are used. Most breakfast dishes in the state of Veracruz are called antojitos (this word can be used for other meals, which consist of pastries made with corn flour) and are very fatty. The most common ones are picadas (or pellizcadas, a tortilla with a sauce, onion and fresh cheese topping) and "empanadas" (tortillas filled with an ingredient like cheese, chicken or huitlacoche); in the northwest birria (beef or goat stew) and barbacoa (steamed beef or lamb) are also very popular.
[edit] Perú
In Lima and other coastal cities of Peru, daily breakfast is a fast and simple meal: sourdough bread with jam, butter, ham or a little bit of cheese on it and sometimes scrambled or fried eggs on it, served with a cup of coffee, tea or oatmeal.
Kids in school age use to have milk (plain or with cocoa powder) or thick oatmeal served on a bowl (with milk, coffee or cocoa powder) or a lighter oatmeal prepared with apple, quince, quinoa or kiwicha.
In working-class areas of Lima city, emoliente is a common breakfast, which consists on boiled barley with linseed, alfalfa, boldo, horsetail, key lime juice and an infusion of assorted herbs or boiled quinoa, served with wheat bread or sourdough bread with fresh farmhouse cheese or fried eggs.
Sunday breakfasts are much bigger; They consist of tamales or a pan con chicharrón.
Other common Sunday breakfasts are the salchicha huachana scrambled with eggs and served with bread, the lomo saltado , humitas with cheese on it, boiled choclo (corn) and a lot more dishes.
During Sunday breakfast in Arequipa (in the south of the country), they eat a dish known as abodo de chancho .
In the central mountain range area, it is typical to have breakfast very early in the morning, when they eat thick soups made out of mote (hominy) and some meat (e.g. tripe, chicken, sheep, etc.). It is also common in the andean area to have potatoes, hominy and boiled broad beans as a breakfast.
[edit] Middle East
[edit] Egypt
In Egypt the traditional breakfast is ful medames: slow cooked fava beans (sometimes with lentils) dressed in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
[edit] Iran
In Iran, varieties of Iranian flatbreads (naan), Iranian feta cheese (panir-e irani) or Persian feta cheese, butter (kareh), a variety of traditional marmalades (morabba) or jams, honey (angebin or asal), cream (sar sheer (سرشیر)) and hot tea are essential breakfast foods. Other foods, such as heavy cream, walnuts, hard and soft boiled eggs, and omelettes are also popular for breakfast. Traditionally, a choice of butter and cheese, butter and marmalade, heavy cream and honey, butter and honey, or cheese and walnuts are rubbed on fresh bread and folded into bite-sized sandwiches and are to be consumed with hot tea. The tea is preferably sweetened with sugar. Another breakfast food, which is usually consumed between the hours of three to five in the morning, in winter, is called halim. Halim is a combination of wheat, cinnamon, butter and sugar cooked with either shredded turkey/chicken or shredded lamb in huge pots. It is served hot and cold, but preferably hot. Almost everywhere in the country, especially in colder regions, a lamb head stew (kale pache) is consumed, usually on the early hours of weekend (Friday mornings).
[edit] Israel
An Israeli breakfast typically consists of coffee, orange juice, fresh vegetables salad, goats/cows cream cheese, fresh bread or toast, olives, butter, fried eggs of your choice, and some small cookies or slices of cake. For an even fuller breakfast it might include hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, quark cheese, and Israeli salad. Another type of breakfast would be fried dough, malawach served with sweet fruits or something spicier. Hotels with continental breakfasts, in addition to the aforementioned items, will usually serve many different kinds of fish and yogurts, as well as a dish of egg and spicy tomatoes known as shakshuka.
[edit] Lebanon
In Lebanon, there are several types of breakfast, including include labneh, mankoucheh, lahm bi ajin, kichek, and knefeh.
[edit] Mashriq
In the Mashriq, breakfast varies greatly according to taste, but a typical breakfast consists of tea or instant coffee, juice, a morning salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mint and olive oil), pita bread dipped in rich labneh, a type of yogurt, or in olive oil and za'atar. Hummus, ful medames and falafel are more common on the weekends. Other breakfast items include a variety of olives, cheeses, especially goat cheese, variety of vegetables, cereals, jams and pastries.
In most Arab areas, the most popular breakfast by far is pita bread dipped in rich labneh, a type of yogurt, or in olive oil and za'atar (a common Middle-Eastern spice mix). Other popular breakfast foods in the Mashriq include boiled eggs, olives, cheese and fava beans.
[edit] United States and Canada
[edit] Traditional
Traditional breakfasts in the United States and Canada derive from the full English breakfast and other European breakfast traditions[citation needed] and feature predominantly sweet or mild-flavored foods, mostly hot. Typical items include hot oatmeal porridge, grits (in the South), other hot grain, porridges, egg sausage or small link sausages, pan-fried potatoes (hash browns), biscuits, toast, pancakes, waffles, bagels, French toast, English muffins, pastries (such as croissants, doughnuts, and muffins), and fresh or stewed fruits of various types (stone, citrus, etc.). Steak may be served with eggs on the traditional menu. Cold cereal has become nearly ubiquitous in recent decades, and yogurt is widely popular. Coffee, tea, milk and fruit juices are standard breakfast beverages.
Grits are usually part of a Southern breakfast in the United States
Many regions of the U.S.A. have local breakfast specialties that are less popular nationally. In the South, homemade biscuits served with country-style gravy (also called sawmill gravy), country ham and red eye gravy and grits are one traditional breakfast menu; the Southwest has huevos rancheros and spicy breakfast burritos; scrapple is a favorite in the Mid-Atlantic states; Salmon bagels are popular in the Northwest and pork roll is rarely available outside New Jersey and Philadelphia; and New Englanders still occasionally indulge in fried salt-pork, and pie. Fried eggs with bacon or sausage and American cheese on a seeded kaiser roll is a popular breakfast sandwich in parts of New York. Many Soul food breakfast menus across the country include fried chicken wings, catfish, pork chops and salmon croquettes.[10] Specialty items also vary in popularity regionally, such as linguiça sausage and Spam in Hawaii, crab cakes in southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions, andouille sausage, chicory coffee, Chisesi ham and beignets in Louisiana, chorizo in the Southwest, lox and smoked salmon in the Northwest, goetta in Greater Cincinnati.
American breakfast customs derive from those of rural England in the 18th century, and some divergences probably reflect changes in the latter since that time. For example, modern English hot breakfasts not uncommonly include lightly fried tomato slices or a sauteed whole mushroom, but neither are found in the U.S. Breakfast kippers are also uncommon in the U.S. On the other hand, the steak-and-eggs breakfast is rare in England and probably a recent American import. English muffins (not to be confused with the British crumpet) are commonly eaten as a breakfast food in the United States.
Some regions of Canada especially Quebec, New Brunswick and parts of eastern Ontario will commonly include maple syrup with crêpes, French toast, pancakes, or waffles.
Hotels now often serve breakfast buffets for a fixed price, or offer sweet rolls, cereal, and coffee as a free "continental" breakfast. Traditionally, hotel breakfasts were made to order at a restaurant or by room service. Omelettes made to order are also an option.
So it seems continental food isn’t aptly named. It should really mean food from all over
