Welcome to the Ultimate Food Atlas Blog Tour!
This week, join us for a fantastic food journey around the globe as we celebrate the release of the Ultimate Food Atlas (National Geographic Kids Books, ages 8-12). Five blogs across the web are featuring posts from the book as we “travel” from continent to continent to discover a rich diversity of foods and food celebrations from many different countries. Ready for a captivating around-the-world culinary adventure? Read on!
ASIA – VARIED CUISINES BURSTING WITH FLAVOR
As the largest continent in both area and population, Asia boasts a huge range of foods. In East Asia, common foods include rice, noodles, chicken, and plenty of vegetables. In South Asia, people enjoy rice, fish, chicken, insects, seaweed, flatbreads, and curries and other spices. Southeast Asia, which includes many islands, features tropical fruits. Western Asia, which is a region of deserts surrounded by seas, has a menu rich in fruits, legumes, herbs, and spices. Central Asia lies to the north in the mountains west of China, and its cuisine is shaped by the nomadic traditions of its people. What a variety!
Festivals and Feasts in Asia
Throughout Asia, people of different nationalities and religions join family and friends to celebrate their heritage on special occasions. There are special days to celebrate the harvest, springtime, the new year, and even national competitions. Each festival is different, but all bring people together to celebrate and eat good food.
DOLMA FESTIVAL (Armenia) This May event celebrates the dolma as a matter of Armenian pride. Dolmas— grape leaves stuffed with meat, rice, and other ingredients—are a traditional Armenian dish. Participants enjoy songs and dances. The festival showcases a wide variety of dolmas (more than 60 types) and gives awards for the tastiest and longest dolma and best beginner dolma cook.
SAN ISIDRO PAHIYAS FESTIVAL (Philippines) At this springtime harvest fiesta in the town of Lucban, residents give thanks to Saint Isidro de Labrador, the Catholic patron saint of farmers. People create decorations with kiping (dyed rice flour wafers) for their homes, so the streets are filled with colors. Farmers bring in their fruits, vegetables, and grains and string them together with sausages called longganisa.
ONAM (India) During this two-week festival, the Malayali people of Kerala, India, celebrate the rice harvest. The peak event of the celebration is a Sadhya, or feast, which consists of 26 or more traditional dishes.
SUKKOTH (Israel) The Jewish festival of Sukkoth is a weeklong harvest celebration. In Israel, the first and last days of Sukkoth are national holidays. Throughout the world, people build sukkahs—small huts or temporary shelters—out of natural materials and hang fruits or plants inside. During the week, people eat meals in the sukkahs. Popular Sukkoth desserts are fruit compote and apple cake to symbolize a plentiful harvest.
MOONCAKE FESTIVAL (China) On the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar (which usually falls in September), families gather in China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan to make offerings to the goddess of the moon, Chang’e. Mooncakes— special sweets eaten on this occasion—are made from lotus seed paste and have an egg yolk center. Children carry lighted lanterns to honor the moon.
Try this Recipe for Mooncakes!
These tasty treats are traditionally filled with lotus seed paste. You can use red bean paste instead.
Prep time: 1 hour; baking time: 15 minutes Servings: 12 cakes
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1¼ cup flour
1 cup red bean paste (chilled for at least one hour)
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Use a whisk to mix the honey, vegetable oil, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add flour and stir with a spoon until the dough forms a smooth ball. Gently knead the dough with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. While the dough is chilling, roll one tablespoon of chilled red bean paste into a ball. Make 12 balls. Refrigerate the balls until chilled.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Divide the chilled dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls between two pieces of wax paper and flatten each ball into a thin circle. Wrap each circle of dough around a red bean paste ball, fully covering the filling. Roll into a ball.
Place the balls on a baking sheet. Gently press each ball to flatten. Beat the egg yolk and water in a small bowl with a fork. Using a basting brush, brush the mixture over the top of each cake. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Buy | Buy on IndieBound | Add on Goodreads
Exploring the world has never been more yummy and fun! Discover how unique foods are grown, eaten, and celebrated by people all over the planet, get recipes for delicious dishes, and so much more!
Pull up a chair and dig into this bold and vibrant world atlas full of fun food facts, fascinating information about crops and farming, easy-to-read maps, recipes, and games from around the world. On the menu: vegetables, grains, meats, dairy products, and foods harvested from the water. Highlights include appetizing attractions, cool places to eat, food festivals, and sustainable eating is promoted throughout. It’s a treat for kids who are interested in food and a valuable reference to geography, agriculture, and culture across the continents. Absolutely stuffed with mouthwatering tidbits for every reader! Kids are sure to come back to the table hungry for more!
About the Authors
Nancy Castaldo has written award-winning books about our planet for over 20 years from New York’s Hudson Valley. Her love of reading and writing outdoors began in her childhood, when she wasn’t searching for frogs, turtles, salamanders, and climbing trees. Her curiosity led her to study science. As an environmental educator, Nancy combined all of those interests. She still enjoys spending her time exploring the wild as she did while researching over two dozen books and many articles. Nancy writes to inform, inspire, and empower her readers about the world around them. Visit her online at nancycastaldo.com.
Christy Milhaly’s book Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought (co-written with Sue Heavenrich) explores this issue and offers pointers on preparing environmentally friendly―and tasty―meals using invasive plants, animals, and insects. She has published other nonfiction books on topics including nature, history, politics, and crafts. Mihaly earned degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of California, Berkeley. Visit her online at christymihaly.com,
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a hardcover of Ultimate Food Atlas
- US/Can only
- Ends 7/17 at 11:59 pm ET
- Enter via the Rafflecopter below
- Visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!
Blog Tour Schedule:
July 4th — From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors
July 5th — YA Books Central
July 6th — Pragmatic Mom
July 7th — Mrs. Book Dragon
July 8th — Randomly Reading
p.s Related posts:
17 Wonderful Multicultural Picture Books About Food
Cooking For Kids: Books To Promote A Love Of Food
Fabulous Food Truck Children’s Books
My Kids Try Eritrean Food for the First Time
My Kids Try Ethiopian Food for the First Time
Top 8 Picture Books Featuring Anthropomorphic Foods
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My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I enjoy books this publisher publishes and this one will be so much fun to read and study and learn.
some fun food facts
Readers would love this! Putting on my purchase list for the fall.
What a fun book, adding it to my list. I love the idea of traveling with food…
it seems like a lot of deliciousness is in here
I absolutely LOVE this! I teach ESL to students whose 1st language is Kinyarwanda, and food is a wonderful topic to get them speaking and practicing English together! National Geographic Kids has some really cool animal resources that we use in class already, so I know this book must be amazing! A food journey around the world is a great way to explore and learn about cultures other than our own. Thank you so much for this awesome giveaway!! 🙂
This looks amazing! My classroom theme is food so this would be great to add to our library!
My daughter loves the NG books and she loves food, baking, cooking shows, etc. so this would be perfect for her! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This looks great! My students love to read about food, especially food from different cultures.
This looks like such an amazing fun book with delicious recipes!