Kate Emery: As the inventors of avocado toast Australia deserves to be crowned breakfast champion of the world

Is Australia the breakfast capital of the world?

That’s the question being asked on social media, after one user of X, formerly Twitter, shared a photo of a nice-looking omelette and toast with the seemingly innocuous caption: “Aussies know how to do breakfast, that’s for sure.”

What started as the most banal of all online activities, sharing photos of your food with strangers has all but become an international incident.

Non-Aussies piled on to suggest the pictured omelette was undercooked inside, “burned” on the outside and, anyway, it’s clearly a Denver omelette so how can an Australian take credit?

Australian breakfasts are “an exercise in money stealing” according to one Yank, possibly accustomed to living in a society where waitstaff must survive on tips.

Before wading into any social media debate I usually recall the saying about never wrestling with pigs — you both get covered in sh*t and only the pig enjoys it — and go touch grass instead.

But, as the paper’s breakfast and brunch reviewer, I feel obligated to put on my elasticated pants to confirm that Australians really do make the best breakfasts.

Here’s why:

Two words: avocado toast. Sorry to everyone who can’t afford a mortgage as a result but Australia possibly invented and at least popularised (it’s a contentious issue but Sydney’s Bill Granger is often credited as the first to put it on the menu) smashed avo as a breakfast staple.

Two more words: scrambled eggs. As in: Australian cafes make them best. It’s all down to the art of gently “folding” the eggs, rather than getting too handsy with your yolks in the pan.

Multiculturalism is our superpower. Whether it’s a Korean-influenced bulgogi croissant at Wembley’s Mellow Coffee or the “My Italian Asian Cousin” dish that so recently charmed me at Bayswater’s 3.8 Baysie, (West) Aussie chefs aren’t afraid to mash up cultures and put it on a plate.

Australian chefs are inventive. Possibly bonkers. Either way, it’s not boring.

French toast, you say? Try it with rosemary and chocolate cream at Cambridge Corner in Floreat. You’ve tried porridge but have you tried oat and rice porridge arancini at Victoria Park’s Social Manna? (You should.)

Then there’s the coffee. Anyone who has struggled to get their fix overseas, or attempted to explain what’s involved in a “flat white” know how seriously Australians take their coffee.