World food production: Nature, culture and nutrition

Selma’s parents are Kurdish immigrants. They cook traditional Kurdish meals at home - they’re happy that they can buy most of the spices and food in the shops of their new home, even though they’re not typical for the place. Selma feels that food is really important to her family because it reminds them of their roots. A lot of the dishes her parents prepare, are her comfort food that makes her feel better if she feels down. It’s Selma’s birthday and she’s having a party at home.

It’s the first time her friend Julia tries Kurdish food, and she loves it! But when Selma asked about the traditional food of her country, Julia couldn’t think of any dishes. She prefers food that’s popular worldwide, like noodles, hamburgers and pizza. A lot of people, like Julia, like to try dishes from all over the world. Trade, globalisation and immigration make it possible for people to try food from almost anywhere.

And why stick to just one type of food, when there are so many to try? But eating food from all over the world comes at a cost. The food Selma’s parents need for their recipes doesn’t grow in the country they moved to. They buy it from a nearby store that sells imported products - and transporting food that grows far away pollutes the environment. But Selma’s parents aren’t the only ones who buy imported food, we all do it!

If you’ve ever had a bar of chocolate, the cocoa used to make it had to be grown in a country with a tropical climate and then transported across the world to be made into chocolate. And humans eat a lot of chocolate! This also means that farmers might choose to grow plants like cocoa, that they can sell overseas for more money, rather than food to sell on the local market. This means that they might not grow enough food for themselves to eat. All animals need to eat food to survive.

But for people, food has become much more than just a source of nutrients. It tells us a lot about the history, values and geography of countries. It’s also an important part of human cultures and social lives! What about you? What are your favourite dishes?

Do you associate food with anything special?