My Favourite Breakfast for the World Cup. [White Soup and Pounded Yam]

“The amazing scent of fried rice fills the air, the sound of carrots, bell peppers, green beans and other vegetables sizzling together permeates through the whole house like a good orchestra", my mum walks in to the dining room with a pot full of steaming hot fried rice and complementary crusty fried chicken to set the pace for breakfast, yes that's breakfast for me and you'll definitely find me at the table where that combo is served.

Breakfast, to me, is not just the "most important meal of the day," it's my favorite meal of the day. What will I be eating for breakfast? Rice! It is my ultimate breakfast love language. Rice and stew? Count me in. Jollof rice? You'll find me there. Fried rice with succulent chicken? Oh my God, That's the crown jewel.

There is just something about fried rice that makes it hit different, the combination of healthy vegetables like carrots, green beans, bell peppers, and sweet corn all working together in harmony, the colors being so inviting that you almost feel guilty for chewing it up, but end up savouring so much goodness.

And let us not forget the sidekick, a well prepared cream salad with crunchy cabbage and raw carrots, the cream could be bama or milk, depending on ones preference. Now that's breakfast heaven on a plate. And seriously, if possible I wish I. Can have it every morning. 😭

There is currently a contest on social media called: World Breakfast Cup. What do you know about this?
The "World Breakfast Cup" is a real online event. It isn't another TikTok challenge or Instagram reel; it's a serious tournament started by a streamer known as Ibai Llanos where countries enter and compete their "A-game breakfasts".

I think of it more like the FIFA World Cup, but instead of Messi and Ronaldo, we have empanadas, chicharrón, and arepas dribbling their way to victory. It is peak food diplomacy and uses forks instead of footballs, and plates instead of penalty kicks.

This year’s showdown was serious with Sixteen countries that entered, but the finals boiled down to Venezuela and Peru. Venezuela came through with their Reina Pepiada arepa with avocado and shredded chicken, backed up by a fried egg, a shredded beef empanada, and a malt drink. While Peru answered with its famous pan con chicharrón, which is a fried sweet potato, crispy pork, salsa criolla, all sandwiched in bread. The drama was massive.

fans were arguing online like their country's honor depended on it. And a little Spoiler alert is that Peru defeated Venezuela, and they were rejoicing as though they had actually won the World Cup. Probably for good reason because, Food is identity, food is culture, and national pride on one plate.

Personally, Venezuela should win the World Breakfast Cup because the arepa does not just represent food, it represents tradition, adaptability, and the pride of the country all in one.

In contrast to most breakfast foods, the arepa adjusts to each taste, because of the endless fillings that are personal and somewhat cosmic . It is a staple that sustained venezuelan generations, symbolizing not just comfort but also identity. And while Peru's pan con chicharrón is delicious, cultural importance and prevalence in Venezuelan everyday life should to me, give the nation the deserved designation.

This is a tough opinion to make because While the arepa itself is a symbol, some claim that Venezuela's traditional creole breakfast which is black beans, scrambled eggs, cheese, and arepas, is what might have been the best cultural representative. The World Breakfast Cup is just as much about taste as it is about telling your country's story on a plate. And maybe, just maybe, Venezuela's creole breakfast may have been its most eloquent storyteller.

Personally my steaming hot take is that while Venezuela's breakfast lineup is no joke (I mean, that empanada alone could win prizes), but Peru really went over and beyond on this one. Their pan con chicharrón just feels more universal, more like something that appeals to something deeper than borders. It's decadent, it's savory, it's texturally fascinating. It's the kind of breakfast you'd get up at 6 a.m. for, even on a Sunday.

At the same time Venezuela's Reina Pepiada arepa with a fried egg, a shredded beef empanada, and a malt drink is definitely hearty, flavorful, and represents variety. Honestly, I wouldn’t complain if that plate of food landed on my breakfast table tomorrow morning.

What would be the perfect breakfast to represent your country in a World Cup and why?
Iif my country Nigeria 🇳🇬 had to get into the ring, what would we dish out?

Forget about tea and bread, forget small chops, Nigeria is coming with the biggest guns: "pounded yam and white soup" .

Just imagine this steaming hot yam pounded into cloud-like softness, white soup hot with pepper spice and has been somewhat thickened by flavor, the pepper stinging your throat in that way that makes tears form in the corner of your eyes but still has you reaching for a second helping. Then there is the lineup of intercontinental condiments;towel meat, goat meat, cow skin, stockfish, all producing aroma together in harmony like an orchestra of flavor.

This isn't breakfast; it's an experience.thinking about it alone and writing this down I'm already salivating, and I'll definitely try to have it for breakfast tomorrow.😁 This is The kind of meal where you eat so much you forget that your stomach has a limit. If food were football, this meal would be Messi in goat form.

So, returning to the question before us: what is my favorite breakfast? Without even thinking twice, it is rice in all its glorious forms, especially fried rice. But if the World Breakfast Cup ever needed a Nigerian representative, pounded yam and white soup would stand gallant to rep the giant of Africa. Because at the end of the day, breakfast to me is more than just filling your stomach, it is about telling your story, your indigenous culture, your hopes, one bite/ swallow at a time.

What about yours? And mine? Mine is rice, ambition, and a pinch of Nigerian pepper spice.