- salad/soup recipe and ingredients
Tasty Traditions
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
Many families make traditional recipes. These recipes can include new foods or familiar foods prepared in new ways. Introduce your child to family and cultural traditions other than your own. This will help him build respect and understanding for different people and families other than his own.
For dinner one night, make a salad or soup (that includes plants or seeds) that is from a culture other than your own. As you look through cookbooks or online for a recipe, talk about some of your own family’s favorite or traditional foods.
Let your child be your assistant in the kitchen. He can wash fruits, tear vegetables, or soak beans.
- As you work together, talk about how each of the ingredients looks, smells, feels, and tastes (if appropriate).
- Play some traditional music from the culture associated with the salad or soup you are making. (Look for CDs from your local library or stream music from the Internet.)
- While you wait for dinner or for the soup to cook, read a book about food, such as Bread, Bread, Bread by Ann Morris or Everybody Eats Bread! by Janet Reed. Notice how people prepare the same food differently.
Media Connection: Watch the video Between the Lions “Bee-Bim Bop” together and see a family prepare a favorite meal.
