Teaching your child to appreciate different cuisines could help them grow into more well-rounded adults and spark their interest in other cultures. Introducing new foods to children can be a challenge, however, since they tend to be creatures of habit and don’t always react well to new stimuli. But if you take it slowly and start with foods that they are more likely to enjoy, they might start opening up and learning how to appreciate new cuisines. Let’s take a look at how you can introduce foreign food to your children the right way.
Look at What They Usually Like
Do your children like fried foods, or do they prefer baked/grilled options? Or maybe they like stews? What about the flavour profile? Do they like sweet and sour foods, spicy food, or are they more traditional? Answering these questions will help you figure out what cuisines could work the best and which recipes you should have them try first.
Your children are likely to form an impression of the whole cuisine based on the first dish, so be careful with your first choice and go with something similar to some of their favourite dishes.
Go to a Family Friendly Ethnic Restaurant
If your children have only eaten British food until now, you should try to first introduce them to popular options such as Chinese, Indian, and Thai food. Indian food in particular should be a priority because of its cultural significance in the country. If you’re looking for a great Indian restaurant for the whole family, urban-tandoor.com would be a good option.
Cook Dishes with them
By now, you should know some of the ethnic foods your children like the most. The next step would be to start learning about different recipes and maybe have them cook them along with you. YouTube is a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration and you’ll be able to easily replicate the recipes. This will further spark their interest in the cuisine and could even push them to pursue cooking professionally later.
Look at Subscription Services
If you don’t want to have to order takeaways all the time or go to the restaurant and you don’t feel confident enough to cook exotic recipes on your own, you should check out ethnic food subscription services. You have services that will offer meal kits and snacks from different countries every month, and others that focus on one cuisine in particular.
This is one of the best ways to introduce a wide variety of different cuisines and recipes to your children in a short period. You will also be able to start learning simple recipes that you can make regularly.
All of these tips should help you widen your child’s palate and teach them how to appreciate different cuisines. You should start as soon as possible but take baby steps so that you don’t end up shocking them and putting them off alternative foods entirely.
