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Yes. Beans, grains, vegetables and spices are the heart of everyday meals on every continent — from chana masala in India to moi moi in Nigeria and quinoa salad in Peru.
Chickpeas simmered with tomato, ginger and warm spices, scooped up with flatbread.
India has more plant-eating families than any other country, and cows wander safely through many towns.
Smell one spice from the cupboard and guess what it is with your eyes closed.
India
Chana masala
Mexico
Bean and corn tacos
Japan
Miso soup with tofu and kombu stock
Ethiopia
Shiro with injera
Italy
Pasta e fagioli
Thailand
Coconut vegetable curry
Nigeria
Moi moi
Peru
Quinoa salad
Many traditional dishes are built on plants: dal in India, black beans in Brazil, hummus in the Middle East. Find a country on the map and spot its legume.
What does your family cook that is made mostly from plants? Ask a grown-up where the recipe comes from and add it to your own map.
People eat differently because of climate, history and what grows nearby. Learning about other foods is about curiosity, not deciding who is right.
Facts on this page are simplified. Each country has many regions and many ways of cooking, so use them as a starting point for your own research.
Parents & Teachers
No. Countries contain many communities, regions and cooking traditions. Recipes also travel and change. The map offers examples, not rules about what every person eats or how kind a whole country is.
Pick a dish from the map and identify a plant ingredient. Ask whether that ingredient appears in a dish your family knows. Similar ingredients can be prepared in very different ways.
With a grown-up, find a recipe from a cook or cultural organisation connected to that tradition. Check the region and ingredient list. Versions may include different sauces, toppings or animal ingredients.
If you change a recipe for allergies or availability, call it your version. Do not describe a simplified classroom recipe as the only authentic way. Ask permission before sharing a family's recipe or story.
Ages 7–9
Find two dishes using the same plant ingredient. Say one way they are prepared differently.
What could you ask a cook that a map label cannot answer?