Lebanese Childhood Breakfasts Ranked From Best To Worst

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but that doesn’t mean your favorites were always served up. Here are fourteen typical Lebanese childhood breakfasts we remember, ranked from best to worst.


1. The full Lebanese breakfast feast



This one included fool, hummus, fatte, beid, manakish, and khodra, and kept you full for the following three days.


2. Sawda nayye



The “nayye” part mortified you as a child but you’re absolutely obsessed now.


3. Lahme b3ajin with a side of laban ayran



You knew it would be a good day when your mother called the foron to order lahme b3ajin instead of just jebne w zaatar.


4. Knefeh



The sweetest breakfast to date.


5. Croissant



Chocolat, jebne, zaatar… all were equally heavenly.


6. The “Western” breakfast



Crepe, omelettes, pancakes, or waffles. A rare sighting, but you always kept your fingers crossed for pancakes layered with Nutella.


7. Saj manakish



An upgraded version of the typical manakish.


8. Sugary cornflakes (Oreo O’s, Trix, and Froot Loops)



This was a quick breakfast but gave you the sugar high you craved.


9. Generic or plain cornflakes



You were out of sugary cornflakes, but you’re still not complaining.


10. Frozen keshek mankoushe



Probably left over from the Lebanese feast breakfast, pop it in the oven and it may be a little dry, still good.


11. Mortadella/Salami/Turkey sandwiches



The great ones were usually made after your parents went to the supermarket, and the worse versions were canned lunchmeat in pita bread.


12. Sandwich 3al seb



That little bit of extra effort makes the cheese sandwich infinitely better. Pair with tea for best results.


13. Sad jebne w khyar sandwich

The khyar slips out of the bottom, the cheese is rubbery and/or soggy…it’s not great.


14. Sad labne w zaytoun sandwich



Of course, you drip oil down your shirt. Your mom gets pissed. You die a little inside much like the wilting sandwich.