Staple food

Staple food are food items that can be stored easily and eaten throughout the year. Different kinds of staple foods are used in different parts of the world.

The term means the common basis of the everyday diet in a place. Potatoes and rice are the most usual examples, but bread is not a staple food because it is a manufactured food which cannot be stored. Of course, it can always be made, since wheat is a staple food. Fruit is not a staple because it usually grows at a certain time of year. Meat is not a staple because it may not be available, or is expensive to buy. Green vegetables may be a staple in some countries, but not others. Foods which need special facilities, such as refrigeration are not staple foods.

Here are some examples of staple foods:

• Maize (corn)
• Rice
• Wheat
• Potatoes
• Cassava
• Soybeans
• Sweet potatos
• Yams
• Sorghum
• Plantain
• Barley (leaves)
• Lentils

Pictures of common staple foods

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  Grains

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  Various types of potatoes

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  Plantains, related to banana

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  Boiled white rice

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  beans

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  Maize

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  Amaranth (left) and wheat