While the world has over 50,000 types of edible plants, we are using surprisingly few of them in our diets. Amazingly, just three crops – rice, wheat, and maize (corn) – provide around two-thirds of the world’s intake of plant-based foods. Around 90% of our energy comes from just 15 species. Clearly, the natural world has great untapped potential for providing the world with a more varied diet, and lesser-known edible plants like pandanus, false banana, cactus, fonio, and seaweed could become more common as staple crops as the global population grows in the coming decades.
The types of food staples that are most dominant in a certain region typically depend on what plants are native to that location, and while these staples may be nutritious, a variety of foods are necessary to avoid malnutrition.
Rice is a staple food for billions of people around the world. In fact, it feeds half of the entire global population. Corn is another popular staple because it is easy to store and can be used in many ways. Wheat flour is used to make the majority of the world’s bread.
Roots and tubers, which are high in vitamin C and calcium, are staples in tropical regions. Yams are especially important for the rainforests of South Africa, while cassava feeds more than 500 million people in Africa and Latin America.
Complementary foods such as meat, fish, and milk products are also essential to a population’s diet. Wild plants can be a source of food, while wild animals and fish may be the only source of protein available for a given population. In fact, 62 developing countries rely on wild animals as their main source of protein. Fish and meat are often the major food staples for regions with polar climates, while fruits high in starch are major food sources for people living in the tropics.
Food staples around the world:
- Wheat can be used to make malt, a key ingredient in beer. Ancient beer was high in starch and was often used to pay workers who were working on the pyramids of ancient Egypt.
- Corn has been used to make ethanol. In 2007, the high demand for the fuel caused an increase in the cost of corn, ultimately leading to a “tortilla crisis” in Mexico.
- Produce from home gardens can be essential to rural diets. For example, produce from home gardens in Puerto Rico has helped increase vitamin C and vitamin A intake, particularly in children.