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The Balkan Breakfast: Is the TikTok Trend Worth the Hype?

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February 3, 2025

Breakfast feeling a little blah? You’re not alone if you’ve turned to TikTok for some inspiration. The video platform’s latest viral meal is the Balkan breakfast, which aims to replicate what people in the Balkan area of Southeastern Europe eat each morning. Vids of folks downing platefuls of fresh veggies, hunks of cheese, and crusty bread have prompted many to try the trend for themselves.

The craze is a fresh approach to breakfast in more ways than one. But is this cultural meal one worth adopting, or is it yet another TikTok trend to skip? We’ve got the details from a registered dietitian.

What is the Balkan breakfast?

As far as TikTok is concerned, a Balkan breakfast may look a little different, depending on the content creator. In the video that started it all, TikToker @.dayi_ sits at a table covered in fresh peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini (along with a large bag of feta cheese). He blissfully crunches his way through the whole thing sans plate or silverware.

Other videos feature creators breakfasting on a pile of other fresh ingredients, including sour yogurt, baguette, pickled vegetables, cured meats, or fried eggs. According to creator @BalkanDad, a drinkable yogurt like kefir and slanina (an air-dried smoked pork belly), are essential in the mix. Creator @Balkanbreakfastdaily, on the other hand, goes vegetarian by separating a whole baguette, tomato, and green pepper with his bare hands, then assembling them into a sandwich.

Is it really how people in the Balkans eat?

The Balkans are a large geographical area that encompasses a dozen or more nations. By most definitions, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and parts of Romania, Macedonia, Turkey, Serbia, and Croatia are part of the region.

In other words, there’s a huge variety of breakfast traditions throughout the area. TikTok’s viral plate of veggies, meats, and breads can’t represent them all. “There are too many countries covered in the Balkans to make a blanket statement,” says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, award-winning nutrition expert and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Health Shots, who has Balkan heritage.

Still, Amidor says that a charcuterie-style breakfast of meats and veggies isn’t uncommon in the Balkans. “It certainly is a type of breakfast that I was raised on by my Romanian grandmother, which included slices of seeded rye bread, white cheese, fresh scallions, tomato slices, cucumbers, radishes, and peppers, and served with eggs, olives, and pickles (or something my grandmother pickled). Sometimes sardines or canned white fish would be served.”

Is a Balkan breakfast good for health?

If your regular breakfast is lacking in nutrients or skewed toward sugar, switching to a meal of fresh veggies, meats, and cheeses could be an upgrade for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 10% of Americans reach the daily target for fruit and vegetable consumption. Starting your veggie intake at breakfast could give you a leg up. Options like tomatoes, peppers, pickled onions, cucumbers, and radishes all contain vitamins, antioxidants, and even hydration.

Getting more of these nutritious elements could yield health benefits. A diet high in vegetables (and fruits) can help lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, keep blood sugar in check, prevent some types of cancer, and more.

Besides its veggie content, the flexibility of a Balkan breakfast also lends itself well to nutritional balance. “Overall, it is balanced with some starch, protein, veggies, and dairy,” says Amidor. Each egg served, for example, adds 6 grams of protein, while each slice of crusty bread (especially the whole wheat variety) could add around 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.

Or mix and match other favorite minimally processed ingredients like kefir, canned fish, or sliced meats. The blend is really up to you — just consider balancing protein, fiber, and a source of fat. “This breakfast contains a variety of foods that provide a variety of healthy nutrients,” Amidor says.

Does a Balkan breakfast have any drawbacks?

Like many food trends on TikTok, the Balkan breakfast has dovetailed with “mukbang” — the concept of watching online creators eat copious amounts. Even though most on-camera breakfasters are consuming healthy foods like vegetables, Amidor warns that TikTok-sized portions aren’t always appropriate for real life. “Portions should be minded so you don’t eat a huge chunk of bread that is equivalent to three or four bread servings,” she says. “And eggs should be kept in line with the American Heart Association’s guideline of one egg max per day.”

One other caveat: a Balkan breakfast could be quite high in salt. “Sodium could be an issue if you’re enjoying pickled veggies and canned fish daily. Your best bet is to rinse your canned products to help reduce the sodium and rotate them with lower sodium proteins,” says Amidor. Some low-sodium protein options include yogurt, eggs (without salt), and unsalted nuts.

Takeaway

With plenty of veggies and other minimally processed ingredients, a Balkan breakfast could be worth a try, especially if your usual morning meal isn’t very nutrient-dense. The protein, fiber, and healthy fats it provides could see you through until lunch with a full belly (not to mention a full serving of vegetables). The best part: you don’t even have to travel halfway around the world to try it. You can find most of its fresh, simple ingredients at your local grocery store.

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