Parents share the fun and exotic dishes their children have been eating, and how they developed that appreciation for good food.
I have been asked many times: how did you train your daughter to be such an adventurous eater? With Chiara (seven years old) food has always had flavour. From the time she was fed solid food, I tried to slowly introduce different flavour profiles to her. Mashed vegetables and fruits were never bland— carrots, potatoes, and broccoli were made aromatic with herbs, onion, and garlic. Squash was spiced with cumin, or apples with cinnamon. Until now, she does not resist healthy dishes like a properly-composed bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruits, or yoghurt with granola.
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While she still is a grade-schooler and eats what most children her age would crave (such as macaroni and cheese and Nutella on toast), she is not the type to shy away from trying new things. We discovered her adventurous streak when my husband Matthias and I were enjoying some home-cooked chicken tikka masala one evening, while Chiara (still in kindergarten at the time) had her own child-friendly dish. She peeked over at our Indian food and asked, “can I try that?” We said “of course,” and now we know she can eat anything we put on the table: from spicy, olive-oil based pasta with sardines to hearty and pungent European-style stews.
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