What the World Eats: A Roundup of Global Food Books

Do you know what people eat around the world? What do those missionaries from your church eat when they move to Ghana or Gambia or Great Britain? Our human bodies need regular food, but a surprising variety of food can fill that need. Simply because we all must eat, every day, taking some time to learn what people in other countries eat provides an immediate window into their culture. Kids will readily recognize a different food (sometimes, too readily!). If you’re traveling the world with us this summer, consider looking for one of the books below, like What the World Eats, in your local library and reading/eating through it with your children!

What the World Eats

I remember when I discovered What the World Eats at my local library in Tennessee. I was fascinated. So fascinated, in fact, that I started chronicling what my young family ate in a given week—for several weeks running.

What the World Eats chronicles what families around the world eat in both visual and textual form. “Family” is the group of people under one roof that eat together every day. In some countries, the family pictured is a small group. In others, a lot of extended family members crowd into the picture. Pictured with each family is everything they eat in a given week. All of it. The refugee family is pictured with some meager sacks of grain. The family from a modern, Western country is pictured along with all their packaged goods. Some families are pictured with a bounty of produce; the fine print helps readers realize how little meat that family might eat and that the family grows nearly all of its food. The accompanying text describes how that family earns its living, gets its food, and what their general weekly routines might be like, particularly in relation to mealtimes.

Hungry Planet

Hungry Planet is an updated version, containing the original content of What the World Eats alongside photo-essays and text-essays about everything from the slow food movement to sustainable fishing practices. Data about health care access, protein intake, numbers of MacDonalds, obesity indices, and the like fill the back matter of the book. One fun extra in the Hungry Planet version: recipes! I had my children pick some recipes from this book to make. Hungry Planet will be best appreciated by middle school and up; What the World Eats can be enjoyed (at least the pictures) by a slightly younger crowd.

Food Like Mine

Food Like Mine from DK Publishing is terrific if you have younger children at home. Taking the world’s staples in turn (wheat, rice, corn, etc.), the book provides fun trivia about the foodstuff along with ways that food is enjoyed in different cultures. Additionally, 27 recipes are included from different regions. Recipes are kid- and family-friendly, using ingredients that are commonly found in most grocery stores. Some are familiar (like pizza), and others will ask for a bit of adventurous spirit. As is typical with DK books, this book is full of pictures, including pictures of contemporary children from around the world. Highly recommended as a companion book to your summer reading adventures!

Extending the Table

From the same people who brought us the popular cookbook More-With-Less comes Extending the Table: a celebration of global foods. I’ve had—and used—this cookbook for a couple of decades. I once purchased the revised/updated version (pictured here) because my other copy was looking worn. Pretty pictures aside, I personally prefer the original. It includes more recipes and more stories. But the newer version is lovely to look at and does contain updated information.

Extending the Table is like a global church cookbook. Recipes from all over the world, adapted for Western ingredients (with plenty of substitution ideas), along with countless stories, proverbs, and information make this a cookbook and a book to read. Some stories are heartbreaking pictures of poverty; others are heartwarming examples of hospitality. You won’t find many recipes for boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this book. You will find plenty of recipes using rice and beans (or lentils) since so many countries around the world depend on these frugal staples. My family’s go to stir fry recipe comes from this book. Certain pages are rippled from frequent use. I’m including a very simple vegetable stir fry (slightly adapted) below as an example.

If you enjoy cooking and learning new things, I highly recommend seeking out a copy (note: used copies of the original edition are floating around—it’s also spiral bound which the newest edition isn’t).

Those of us in wealthier countries can stand to learn a few things about genuine hospitality from those in the poorer countries. Most of us in America are quite rich when compared to many people around the world, despite how we might feel about our finances. These books are a great way to practice more frugal food consumption or simply to learn more about the cultures in which our Christian brothers and sisters around the world live and eat.

Assorted Vegetable Sauté from Indonesia: A Recipe from Extending the Table

Fry 2 minutes in 2 T. peanut or vegetable oil in wok or large skillet:

• 1/4 c. onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Add and stir-fry 5-7 minutes until crisp-tender:

• 2 c. cabbage, coarsely shredded (can use coleslaw mix for convenience)
• 1 c. green beans, chopped (I used frozen and didn’t chop further)
• 1 c. carrots, sliced thin diagonally (or the julienned/shredded carrots from a bag)
• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 t. dried red chili pepper (optional)
• 1 t. salt
• 1/2 t. sugar
• 1 bay leaf

Add:

• 1/2 – 1 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 – 1 T. teriyaki sauce

Cook about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Serve with rice or as a side dish on its own.

Let us know in the comments if you try the recipe or have read one of these books!