Island Staple Foods (2024)

FAQs

What type of food is on an island? ›

Fruits, fruit juices, vegetables, and nuts (e.g., peanuts, macadamia, and litchi) are eaten in abundance, while milk and other dairy products are uncommon (there is a high prevalence of lactose intolerance among Pacific Islanders). Coconuts are plentiful, and both the milk and dried fruit are used to flavor meals.

Most of the human population lives on a diet based on one or more of the following staples: cereals (rice, wheat, maize (corn), millet, and sorghum), roots and tubers (potatoes, cassava, yams and taro), and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, cheese and fish.

Pacific Islanders consumed many of the same traditional foods. This included various species of taro, yam, breadfruit, cassava, sweet potato, banana, plantain, pandanus and arrowroot. While they may have eaten the same foods at one time or another, foods were ranked differently in certain societies.

Ingredients that are common in most islands' dishes are rice, plantains, beans, cassava, cilantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut, and any of various meats that are locally available like beef, poultry, pork, goat or fish.

The Torres Strait Islander people ate a variety of garden food such as yams, taro, wild yam, cassava, fruits such as wongai, sorbie, coconuts, sea almonds, and meats such as pig, stingray, turtles, dugong, shellfish and fish.

Cereal grains and tubers are the most common food staples. There are more than 50,000 edible plants in the world, but just 15 of them provide 90 percent of the world's food energy intake. Rice, corn (maize), and wheat make up two-thirds of this.

What is the best staple food? ›

These include items like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, nut butters, dried fruits, and vegetables. You can also stock up on canned foods like beans, tuna, salmon, and chicken, which last for a long time and help avoid wasteful spending.

As staple foods, cereal grains provide a good amount of carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and protein. In addition, they are notably rich sources of B vitamins, vitamin E, and a number of minerals, such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Survival Essentials: Knife, Water Filter, Fishing Rod, Rope, Rifle. Knife: A Swiss army knife or a similar multi-tool can be used for a variety of tasks, from preparing food to crafting tools. This is many people's first choice.

Oceanic islands are usually colonized by only a few animal forms, chiefly seabirds and insects. They are often covered with abundant vegetation, the seeds of which have been carried there, for example, by air and water currents or by birds; but the plant variety is relatively limited.