Did you know we have distributors in over 12 different countries? To celebrate our diverse global community, this month, we introduced Bumkins Around the World! 🌎
We teamed up with our international partners and invited them to share their favorite meals, cultural traditions, and local trivia.
See what mealtime looks like for littles in different corners of the world!
UK
Eton Mess
We reached out to our friends in the UK to learn how to make the traditional English dessert, Eton Mess! 🇬🇧 It consists of mixing strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream. Check out the recipe below! 👇🏼
Here's what you'll need 🍓
- 500g of strawberries (sliced)
- 500 ml of double cream (chilled)
- 1 tbsp of icing sugar
- 6 large meringues
Method 🍨
- Place the cream in a mixer with a whisk attachment, then whip gently.
- Add icing sugar into the mixer.
- Add half the strawberries to the cream and stir in. Break up the meringue into rough one-inch-sized bits, and add most (but not all) of the meringue to the cream.
- Layer up the cream in your desired dish, alternating layers of the cream with some of the leftover strawberries and meringue.
- Finish the Eton Mess with some of the strawberries and a crunchy topping of meringue.
Philippines
Rice is a staple food in every household in the Philippines. So it is not surprising that until now, especially in rural areas, some moms still practice giving AM (rice water) to babies when their baby is ready for solids.
AM is the starch that breaks off the surface when rice is boiled. In the 1950s, it was promoted as a Vitamin B supplement.
However, the local Department of Health reminds mothers that AM is not a substitute for breastmilk because it does not have complete nutritional value. It is better to feed your baby breastmilk and congee for a more nutritious meal.
Adobo
Adobo is an all-time favorite Filipino dish! Even Selena Gomez featured it on her cooking show “Selena + Chef.” Adobo is frequently prepared in every household, but the recipe varies per region!
Afritado
Did you know that Spain colonized the Philippines for 333 years? Afritada comes from the Spanish phrase a fritada, which means to fry. Afritada is a Spanish-based Filipino dish consisting of chicken, beef, or pork braised in tomato sauce with carrots, potatoes, and red and green bell peppers.
This is a great way to get your little one to eat veggies!
Tinola
Here’s some trivia on the popular Filipino dish:
It was mentioned in “Noli Me Tangere”, a novel written by Filipino National Hero, Jose Rizal. In the book, Tinola was among the food served on the homecoming party to the Philippines of Crisostomo Ibarra.
Nowadays, Tinola remains a healthy comfort food made with chicken, green papaya wedges, and malunggay in a ginger-based broth. Great to serve your little one, especially on cold days.
South Korea
A daily meal is a combination of rice, a staple food, and various side dishes. The side dishes are made with a mix of ingredients such as vegetables, meat, and fish. One or two kinds of kimchi are prepared as basic dishes, and three to nine other side dishes are prepared depending on the circumstances. Kimchi has a unique taste and aroma as it is fermented for a long time.
When making a bowl of food, people pay attention to its nutritional balance and taste, texture, and color. In one dish, five to six condiments are added to flavor, and garnish with five red, green, yellow, white, and black colors is added to make the food more beautiful.
Korean food is said to be a seasoning in one food, so it is cooked with soy sauce, sugar, green onion, garlic, sesame salt, sesame oil, pepper powder, and other ingredients. This seasoning enhances the original taste of the ingredients and deepens and enriches the taste of the food. Soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper paste, which are the basic condiments of Korean food, are representative slow-foods.
It is also characterized by a soft texture and easy to eat because there are many foods made by cutting or mincing the ingredients into bite-sized pieces rather than using them as a whole.
Love learning about Korean cuisine? Check out our full chat with @bumkins_korea!
Thailand
Soup with Egg Tofu and Minced Pork
Ingredients
- Fish Stock
- Egg tofu
- Mince Pork
- Sliced carrots
- Soy Sauce
- Chinese Cabbage
- Scallion
Method
1. Mix minced pork with sliced carrots and put a little soy sauce.
2. Put the fish stock into a pot and boil.
3. Form minced pork into a little cube, then put to boil fish stock.
4. Put in egg tofu, Chinese cabbage, scallion.
5. Wait until boil and put a little soy sauce.
6. Serve with love
As I mentioned above, tofu soup is good for kids starting solids because the texture itself is very soft, easy to swallow, and tofu is very good for their health, of course.
Mexico
Plantain Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 plantains
- Panela cheese to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Avocado oil
Method
1. Steam the bananas and let them cool.
2. Mix the crushed plantains in flour, olive oil, and a little water. Stir very well.
3. Form the empanadas and fill them with cheese.
4. Cook them in the pan with avocado oil.
Taiwan
In celebration of the Lunar New Year, we reached out to our friends in Taiwan to learn more about their mealtime favorites! 🇹🇼
Nian Gao (sticky rice cakes), rice, fish, dumplings, spring rolls, and pineapple are a few of the many dishes you expect to see on your plate during the Lunar New Year!
Japan
Our distributors in Japan shared their detailed weaning guide that specifies when and what to feed littles.
It is recommended to start weaning when baby turns 5-6 months, and to start with a spoon of rice porridge (congee) at the very beginning, followed by:
- (5-6 months) once a day, start feeding: vegetables, tofu, white fish
- (7-8 months) once-twice a day, start feeding: egg, dairy, chicken breast strip, wheat
- (9-11 months) twice-three times a day encourage baby-led feeding (eat by hand) start feeding: Red meat
- (12-18 months) three times a day. (Getting accustomed to regular meals)
As for the texture, start from a thin potage-like texture and gradually make it thicker with small chunks. Following this, the aim is for baby to eat regular cooked rice by the time weaning finishes around 12-18 months.
Breastfeeding continues after weaning starts and gradually reduces as the baby eats more.
The Tale of "Fruit Juice"
It used to be recommended to give diluted fresh fruit juice to babies at three months to supplement vitamins and formula feeding in the old days. It was actually included in government guidelines until 2008 but removed thanks to modern improvements in formula nutrition. Many Grandparent generations are still accustomed to this guideline and often advise new moms and dads to give baby fruit juice (which sometimes confuses them).
And don't forget to check out our IG Live chat with our Canadian friends @kidcentralsupply!