5: Staple foods

Staple foods are those which are eaten on a regular basis, and are a part of normal, everyday meals for most of the people living in a particular country or region. They are called staple because they are easy to access and are grown or produced locally. Most people would include them in at least one of the meals eaten during the day.

There are many types of staple foods in different parts of the world. The staple food available in an area is normally linked to the climate that an area experiences and the type of land that is accessible. Staple foods can be either plant or animal based food, however, they usually come from plants. Cereals are the most common staple food in the world and include foods such as wheat, rice, maize and oats. Root vegetables are also very common staple foods and include potatoes, cassava and taro. Soya beans belong to the group of foods called legumes and are also a staple food in some regions.