The same staples feed the world
All around the world, the foods that keep people fed are remarkably consistent. Rice, beans, lentils, flatbread, and eggs appear in almost every food culture. The dishes built around them are as diverse in flavour as they are satisfying.
The Facts
- Rice and beans form a complete protein and appear in dozens of distinct food cultures
- Flatbreads made from simple grains are a staple on every continent
- Lentils have fed people across Asia, Africa, and Europe for thousands of years
- Eggs are one of the most universally eaten and nutritionally complete affordable foods
- The world’s favourite comfort foods are almost always built from cheap, simple ingredients
Different cultures favour different cuisines and different flavours. But every day, people on all continents and across all income levels eat the same handful of ingredients again and again. Rice, dried beans and lentils, eggs, flatbread, root vegetables, and cheap, local greens are the building blocks for a wide variety of dishes.
These staples are cheap, calorie-dense, easy to store, and nutritionally solid
- Legumes and grains eaten together, as they are in many cultures, form a complete protein without any meat required.
- Lentils have been a dietary staple for at least eight thousand years.
- Flatbreads and breads made from ground grain appear in virtually every food culture.
Products that are among the cheapest in a grocery store don’t need to produce ‘boring’ meals. They are the ingredients that produced some of the world’s great culinary traditions. Dal, feijoada, ful medames, congee, shakshuka, gallo pinto, and khichdi are not poverty foods. They are genuinely good dishes that billions of people choose to eat.
Seven dishes from around the world worth adopting:
- Dal means dried, split pulses, such as lentils, peas, and beans, as well as the spiced soup or stew made from them
- Feijoada is a rich, slow-simmered black bean and meat stew popular in South America
- Ful medames is a traditional Middle Eastern and North African stew made from slow-cooked fava beans
- Congee is a savory porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water or broth until the grains break down into a smooth, creamy consistency
- Shakshuka is a popular one-pan dish made of gently poached eggs in a simmering, spiced tomato and bell pepper sauce
- Gallo pinto is a dish made from dark beans mixed into white rice
- Khichdi is a traditional South Asian one-pot comfort dish made by cooking rice and lentils together with mild spices
Sources for inspiration:
- Dal Recipes by Dassana’s Veg Recipes
- Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew by Daring Gourmet
- Ful Medames by the spruce Eats
- 9 Congee Recipes That Are Pure Comfort by allrecipes
- Shakshuka by David Lebovitz
- Masala Khichdi by Dassana’s Veg Recipes
