What mums in other countries feed their kids

[agoodbookandsomefizz]

I started a thread in a totally different bit of MN and got no response so I'm hoping the food section is going to be more successful!

I am fascinated by what mums in other countries feed their kids as I get so bored with all my English style recipes I would love to introduce my kids to new dishes and new flavours. I also can't help thinking that some countries have a much healthier way of eating (Mediterranean diet etc) and I'd like to know more!

I've even gone so far as wondering whether a compendium of classic dishes from different countries - which would include breakfast ideas and snacks could work as a recipe book? So this is my initial research. Ideally I'd like to come away with a bunch of new ideas for my own daily cooking sanity and if there are enough interesting dishes, who knows, I may try to put a book together (I've been dying to use my brain since having kids and this seems like a good way to do it)!!

So, my question is. Does anyone out there know of any classic dishes from different countries? For example I know that grated carrot salad (made with orange juice) is a favourite vegetable dish amongst French children....and after a few failed attempts my kids love it too as I also grate apple into it. Any more?!

Thank you!

I live in LA - DS usually has one of the following if having lunch or tea at a local friend's house:
Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup
Cheese or chicken quesadillas
Mac'n'cheese
Sliders (mini burgers)
Quinoa, cheese and black beans
Taquitos
Empanadas

I was weaned in Sri Lanka on avocado, banana and veg curries (usually plantain or lentil)

mrsbug the german potato pancakes recipe that I use ( my grandmothers) is.....
Finely grated potato (amount depends on how many pancakes you want)- roughly drain off liquid
One finely grated onion
One beaten egg
Heaped tblsp flour
Salt to taste
Mix ingredients & cook one to test for seasoning (add a little more salt if needed).......keep cooking. I am in Australia & buy a dutch apple sauce at my local shops but make your own if you are really keen. My Dad puts his potato pancake on top of a slice of rye bread & adds apple sauce. Not the healthiest meal but very yummy.....always make lots more than you think you will need

We live in HK and my kids eat quite a lot of asian style food. A big favourite is fried rice with prawns, plus they also like Japanese style yakitori chicken, skewers with chicken/pork and peanut sauce and noodles with fish/meat and lots of veg

Gwendoline - was the book Boy by Roald Dahl?

In Portugal mothers are obsessed with fruit for breakfast and after meals as pudding.

Also almost every single child eats soup as a starter or as a main meal. Lots of fish and salad and bread with almost everything.

Like in Brazil, all is cooked from scratch.
Mum still says that passata in a bottle is just lazy

My children eat quite a lot of Chinese food, for breakfast on a weekend we will have congee, which is like a rice porridge. I cook it with bacon ribs and sweetcorn, a pinch of chicken powder and a small piece of dried scallop. They have it with fried dough sticks. I can make it in the slow cooker overnight, and it's lovely!

Thanks mrssprout I will give it a go

Mrs Bug- look up a recipe for latkas. It's also a Jewish good made for Hanukkah. I make them a lot with various vegetables.

I taught at a boarding school in India once and a typical child's menu was:
B: parathas with yoghurt and pickle
L: vegetable curry, dal, rice
D: meat curry, vegetable curry, rice followed by fruit or a milky rice pudding flavoured with cardamon.

Snack would be fruit and roti or pakora or samosa or veg/fish/mince fritter.

Zhx don't tell me you know how to make those fried dough sticks! do you have a recipe for me? It will make me all nostalgic about our time in Shanghai.

sorry for hijack.

I don't know how to make them, but you can find them in the freezer section of the bigger Chinese supermarkets .

thanks, Zhx3

Gazpacho! Toddler DS lived on it while we were in Spain. He loved it.

Ipanema

How do you make your Feijoada, please?

Also I lived in Malawi - the local children ate what the adults ate, nsima (a type of porridge made with maize flour) and ndiwo (the sauce, made with veg, goat, chicken or dried fish)

I don't know much about typical German kids' food but they definitely eat Brezeln (soft bread pretzels) as snacks. When we go to the bakery and DS asks himself they always tear a chunk off a spare one and give it to him to hold, no extra charge :)

Adora

Very easy:
Soak black beans overnight
Change water and cook beans, takes me 4-6 hours as I don't have a pressure cooker
Fry onion, garlic and bacon separately
Once beans are tender, add a ladle to onion, garlic and bacon mix
Transfer the lot back into the black beans and season well (I add a stock cube, not sure that's authentic...)
Add more water/stock if needed

That's how I do it, but you can add sausages or other pork bits. There are quite a few recipes/variations on-line and even Jamie Oliver has a recipe for Feijoada!

I serve it over rice and broccoli. Happy cooking

Thanks Ipanema I'll give that a Go.

Rice balls are great. They are so quick and easy to make and really filling. I often make them for breakfast. You do need to have the correct type of rice though.

I started doing American-style pancakes on Sunday mornings. It was only recently I learnt that that is actually a thing. That pancakes are traditionally eaten on Sunday mornings in the US.

Beware of being sucked into the world of japanese bento (lunch box) making though. The next thing you know you'll be trying to make Hello Kitty out of bits of carrot.

I grew up in Texas and find that my children (here in England) like a lot of Tex-Mex food. Fajitas, tacos and burritos are great. I offer lots of filings and everyone chooses what they like.

Cinnamon toast was my favourite breakfast growing up. Cream together sugar, cinnamon and butter then spread on sliced bread and put it under the grill. It goes lovely and brûlée-like on top but still soft underneath.

Mrs Sprout, those potato pancakes are yum.

My dad used to make them, fried in a bit of sunflower oil, the size of drop scones, all crispy!

The finely grated onion is essential for the flavour.

Some people say they are Jewish, or Polish, and called "Latkes"

Lidl and Tesco sell Brezeln