Baby
World
Join us on a culinary journey that delves into what is traditionally considered one of the least appetizing sections of the cuisine world: baby food. Often times, this subject is a hot topic and point of contention for new moms, who are diligently seeking the best for their teething toddlers. So, what should we be feeding our children as they make the tricky transition from breast-milk to solid food? Well, the jury’s still out, but according to The Daily Meal, mothers in the United States generally start their children on soft cereals after six months of breast feeding. Other cultures, however, have their own ideas and traditions about the best solid food starter. From seaweed to ground shrimp to yak butter tea, take a look at what’s being served up as baby food around the globe!
Europe • The Swedes come closest to our tastes with their dietary choices for infants as they usually serve mashed
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Family • August 2021
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r o A u n d d o By: Marisa Vitulli
Originally Published February 2015
fruit and veggies. Additionally, they will sometimes feed them välling, a grainy cereal combined with canola, palm oil, and powdered milk. • France feeds its youth foods of much heartier stock, such as warm leek soup mixed with fresh spinach and flavorful beets. As the children celebrate their first birthdays, they graduate to soft, crumbling cheeses and couscous.
Africa • In Kenya, mothers feed their babies a local dish called ngwaci, a puree of sweet potatoes. • Across the Saharan desert in Nigeria, six month olds are fed traditional and adult cuisine that’s been taken to a blender and pureed. One dish com
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monly considered a starter meal is gbegiri, beans combined with yam flour.
Asia • In India, children are served Khichdi, a dish of rice and veggies generously spiced with cumin, coriander, mint, and cinnamon, prepping their pallets for the fiery cuisine ahead. • The Vietnamese pride themselves on the warm porridges and broths they feed to their kids; their soups are marinated with pork bones and fish sauce. For even more flavoring, they add ground shrimp, potatoes, butternut squash, and, if that wasn’t enough, cereal. • High in the mountains of Tibet, babes clothed in wool are fed a paste called tsampa, which is finely ground barley flour mixed in yak butter tea.
