Getting Kids to Try Foreign Foods

For many of us, one of the greatest pleasures of family travel is sampling dishes from different cuisines, but it’s not always easy to get kids to join in that fun. While you may think kids are ready to try anything, that doesn’t always extend to food.

The time to begin introducing children to new flavors occurs long before a trip even begins. Start by trying new dishes as part of your home dining routine. When you eat out, try restaurants representing different cultures. These don’t need to be exotic, just different from your own usual dishes.

Before you go on a foreign trip, check for recipes online and try cooking a couple of simple dishes from the cuisine. Go easy on the spices, especially those “hot” or pungent like curries.

Do some research so you’ll be able to suggest dishes closer to things they have eaten before —  simple pasta dishes in Italy, grilled meats in Spain and Portugal and sausages in Germany. Learn the names of dishes that will be familiar to kids, so you’ll recognize them on a menu. Make learning a few menu terms into a game, so kids will recognize the words for common ingredients such as chicken, steak, pork chops and French fries on a menu.

Your kids may not be ready to try the snails or frogs’ legs in France, but they’ll recognize a plate of steak-frites.