More Than a Meal: How Food Helps Children Discover Culture
Written by Mahalia Wilson Summer Student
What comes to mind when you think about food?
Maybe it is a favourite family recipe, the smell of something cooking in the kitchen, or a meal shared around the table with people you love. Memories are often attached to food.
Food is more than what we eat. It can tell stories about where we come from, connect us to our families and communities, and introduce us to cultures different from our own. For children, food can be a simple and enjoyable way to begin exploring the world around them. We believe food education should include these connections. Learning about food is not only about nutrition or cooking skills.
It is also an opportunity to learn about culture, history, traditions, and the people behind the food we eat.
Discovering Culture Through Food
Canada is a multicultural country, with people and communities connected to cultures from around the world. Food is one of the many ways these cultures are shared and celebrated. A child may encounter food at school, in their neighborhood, at a friend’s home, or in their own kitchen that they have never tried before.
Instead of simply seeing it as unfamiliar, we can encourage children to be curious. Where does this food come from? Who traditionally prepares it? What ingredients are used? How is it prepared? What makes this recipe special?
These questions can turn a simple recipe into a learning experience. Food traditions can also help preserve cultural knowledge and connect generations. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognizes food and culinary traditions as an important part of cultural heritage. Sharing these traditions allows knowledge, skills, and stories to continue from one generation to the next.
Food, Culture and Healthy Eating
Learning about different cultures can also help children understand that healthy eating does not look the same in every home. Health Canada’s Food Guide recognizes that culture and food traditions are part of healthy eating. Foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods are enjoyed across many cultures, but they can be prepared and combined in very different ways.
Our recipes come from different cultures to help children explore these ideas. Instead of simply telling children what healthy
eating should look like, we show them how the principles of Canada’s Food Guide can come to life through different foods, flavors and traditions.
Every Recipe Has a Story
Along with learning how to prepare the food, children discover fun facts and short stories about the recipe and its origins.
This means that cooking becomes more than measuring, mixing and eating. It becomes a chance to discover something new. It might be learning about an unfamiliar ingredient, discovering where a dish originated, or understanding why a particular food is important to a community. Through these experiences, children can develop curiosity, confidence and a greater appreciation for the cultures and people around them.
Parents can continue this learning at home by asking simple questions while cooking together:
Where do you think this recipe comes from?
Have you tried something like this before?
What ingredients do you recognize?
Does your family have a recipe with a story behind it?
Sharing family recipes and the stories behind them can be just as meaningful. A recipe passed down from a grandparent or a special meal prepared during a celebration can become a way for children to connect with their own family history and culture. At summerlunch+, we believe that food brings people together. Through cooking, children can learn about nutrition while discovering the cultures, traditions and stories that make our communities so diverse.
Building a Bigger Table
At summerlunch+, we want children to see food as more than something that simply fills their plates. Food can be a science lesson. It can be a nutrition lesson. It can be a geography lesson. It can be a history lesson. And it can be a way to learn
about one another. When children cook recipes from different cultures, they are given an opportunity to explore the diversity that surrounds them while developing practical food skills along the way. Our goal is to encourage curiosity, respect and an appreciation for the many ways people grow, prepare, share and enjoy food.