Taking a food tour with kids is a great way of letting them know the different types of foods that people eat across the world and how they are prepared. Apart from the foods that you normally eat in your home as part of your family’s routine, you need to educate your children on the diverse range of the foods that are available out there. They should not grow up thinking that they only have limited dishes to choose from. If they find themselves in a different country or state with people who have different beliefs or cultural backgrounds, they should not be quick to dismiss their food as bad. The food tour will not only help the children appreciate the foods that other people eat, but also their culture.
You can take your kids on a US food tour and help them learn about the following dishes in different states.
Arkansas: Spicy Oven-Fried Catfish
Fried catfish are a signature dish in Arkansas in the south side of America. If you are not from there, you can go on a food tour with kids and let them learn how this dish is prepared.
- Non-stick olive oil spray
- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup of yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of hot sauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 pound of catfish fillets (cut into smaller pieces)
- First, you will need to preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then put baking sheet with parchment paper lining that is generously sprayed with non-stick olive oil on it.
- Put the cornmeal, pepper, flour cayenne, salt, lemon paper and paprika in a Ziploc bag or brown bag then shake it to mix them together.
- Whisk together the hot sauce and eggs in large shallow bowl or deep pie plate.
- Take each fillet and add it to the cornmeal breading bag to coat before dipping into the beaten eggs all sides. After that, put the fillet into the cornmeal breading and then shake well to coat. Take the fillet and put on the coated baking sheet and then repeat the same process with the remaining fillets.
- Spray the top part of each fillet generously using the non-stick baking spray to coat the fish until it is completely covered in spray. Put them in the oven and allow them to bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. The baking time may vary depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove them from the oven when they are golden brown but juicy on the inside.
- Allow the fish to cool for about five minutes and then serve with chopped parsley and lemon.
Colorado: Denver Omelet
Another state that you can take your kids to on food tour is Colorado. The Denver omelet sandwich is one of the exceptional foods in this state. The following is how it is prepared using a non-stick skillet.
- 6 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of water or milk
- 1 cup of cured ham (diced)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
- 1/2 cup of bell pepper (diced)
- 3/4 cup of mushrooms (diced)
- 3/4 cup of red onion (diced)
- 8 slices of cheese (divided)
- 8 slices of bread & enough butter
- Preheat your oven to oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and then put the rack in the middle.
- As the oven is heating up, put the eggs and water in a bowl, whisk them together and then set them aside.
- Dice the ham and veggies and then butter bread on both sides. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet.
- After making sure that the oven is ready, put the bread in and then allow it to toast for about ten minutes or until it becomes toasty. Watch the bread closely and flip it after 5 to 6 minutes for it to toast well.
- While toasting bread in the oven, heat the butter on the medium heat setting in a non-stick skillet and then add bell peppers and ham. Sauté for about two minutes and then add mushrooms and onions. Sauté for about five minutes.
- Pour the beaten eggs in the skillet and then use a wooden spoon or spatula to move them around so as to prevent them from sticking on the pan.
- Add four slices of cheese after two to three minutes and then reduce the heat to the medium/low setting.
- While making sure that the eggs are at the center of the pan, allow them to cook until there is no more liquid. Do not move them around too much at this point so as to keep them formed together and prevent them from becoming too crumbly.
- Turn on the broiler and then remove four slices of the toasty bread from the baking sheet and then set aside. Let the remaining four slices be on baking sheet.
- Put 1/4 spoon of eggs on every side of the four slices of bread and then top them with slices of cheese. Put them on the oven and the broil for one or two minutes.
- When the cheese has melted, top it with remaining flour slices of bread and then serve immediately.
You can visit as many states as possible in the United States during your food tour with kids and get to know about as many new foods as possible. Cooking these foods with your kids in your home will be a great way to connect and spend quality time with them. It will be a good idea to focus on foods that can be prepared easily and faster using appliances such as a rice cooker and toaster oven to enable your kids to grasp how they are cooked much faster. Also make sure that the foods that you will expose your kids are healthy. It is important for them to start learning about healthy eating habits while they are still young. While on the food tour, try to practically make the foods with whoever will be teaching you instead of just being told how it is done. Most kids tend to learn and understand things faster in practice than in theory.
Author Bio
I’m Lauren, founder of Mess Makes Food. My passion is delicious dishes in the world. I’d like to introduce my healthy recipes to many people. I also want to share my mind in how to choose best kitchen gadgets and some tips in cooking process. Have great meals and enjoy!
