Food From Around the World Presented by: Tenk Agyeman & Danielle Crisafulli

Why this topic?  Diversity in the classroom…  Follows NYS Learning Standards for 3 rd through 6 th grade as students learn about cultures from around the world.  Different cuisines around the world…  American culture as “melting pot”…  Everyone loves food!!

What is culture to you…

Formal Definitions…  The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.  The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.  The sum total of ways or living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.

Exploring Individual Cuisines and Music from Around the World… Greek French Italian Mexican American Chinese India Ghana

Greek Cuisine Gyro  Traditionally from Greece.  Made with a pita bread; filled with pork, chicken, or lamb, and occasionally beef as well as tomato, onions, French fries and tzatziki sauce.

French Cuisine Soufflé  Light, fluffy, baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients.  Served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert.  Made in the 18 th century in France.

Italian Pasta  Made from a simple flour and water mixture; could add eggs, spices and cheeses, etc to the dough.  Chinese origins.  Comes as spaghetti (solid cylinders), macaroni (tubes or hollow cylinders), fusilli (swirls), and lasagna (sheets).

Mexican Cuisine Enchilada  Traditionally Mexican.  Made with a corn (maize) tortilla, fillings, and enchilada sauce.  The tortillas are filled with meat or cheese fillings (chicken enchiladas being common), vegetables, seafood, eggs, or bananas may also be used.

American Cuisine Hamburger  Made with chopped meat and minced steak.  Originally concept from Germany.  Fried on grill.  Eaten with French fries, lettuce, tomatoes, or bacon and served between a bun.

Chinese Cuisine Dumpling  Also known as “Jiaozi;” traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival.  Could consist of ground meat, vegetables, fish, shrimp, etc. wrapped into a thin piece of dough.  It is suggested to eat it with soy-vinegar sauce.  Can be fried, boiled or steamed.

Indian Cuisine Rasam Soup  “Rasam” means flavor  Various ways of making it.  Made with lemon rasam, ginger rasam or buttermilk rasam.  Can be mixed with plain cooked rice.  Eaten with different Curries for side dish.  Common ingredients are black pepper, meat, fish, noodles etc.

Ghana Cuisine Yam  An underground tuber like potatoes, but much bigger.  Found in most African countries.  Rich in fiber, vitamin c, and potassium.  Can be baked, fried, pounded into mash potatoes type food, or roasted.  Can be eaten with soup, stew or alone.

Classroom Application…  Beyond just food, students can thoroughly research all aspects of a chosen culture.  Group work encourages cooperative learning.  Students are connecting with the diversity of the world around them.  Have students use technology!

Just for fun…

References…   