Most Consumed Foods in The World: Food is any solid substance that can be consumed by any living organisms, particularly by eating, in order to nourish the body and sustain life. Food is one out of the three basic necessities of life. Human beings need food to live and thrive every day. A greater percentage of the state’s economy is determined by the balance placed on the production and availability of food and its consumption. Every country strives to be a greater producer of foods to an amount that is adequate for its citizens, and still have enough for exportation and trades.
Countries who have poor agricultural sector and poor production output are usually dependent on foreign aids though which foods are imported into the country. This further explains how much of a basic need foods are. Generally, foods have territorial limits in the sense that there are many foods that are peculiar to a given territory. Such foods may only be obtained in a given countries unless others acquire it through trades and importation. On the other hand, there are still foods that are commonly found and had virtually in all countries.
There are also foods that though they are peculiar to certain countries, they have gone viral to many parts of the world through trades, importation, agricultural and technological advancement Not only that such foods are very obtainable in many parts of the world, but also that they are very much acceptable as foods and they are being consumed by many, regardless of the fact that the manner in which they are prepared and consumed may vary according to places and consumer’s personal choices.
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Top 10 Most Eaten/Consumed Foods in The World
Here are the most consumed foods in the world:
1. Rice: I was pretty sure you have rice on your mind and you are absolutely not wrong. Rice is considered to be the most consumed food in the world. More than half of the world’s population consumes rice, particularly in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Rice is also one of the highest produced crops in the world. Rice is also the food that is most consumed directly. It is produced for direct consumption and not usually for other purposes such as further production as in raw materials.
China which is the most populous country in the world is the country that consumes rice the most with a consumption rate of about 154.9 million metric tons in a year. Other countries that consume rice the most include India, Indonesia Japan, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Brazil, Philippines and Nigeria. China and India are the countries that produce rice the most. Their production combined together accounts for more than half of the world’s rice production.
The cultivation of rice is said to have originated from China after which other countries followed suit. Even some rice producing countries still rely on importation of rice from other producing countries in order to match with their country’s demand. Rice is a starchy food accountable for greater percentage calories from diets.
Rice has varieties which includes short, medium and long-grained. Its substantive form however remains the same. Rice does contain fibre, Vitamin B, Iron, manganese and protein. Its method of preparation and hoe the food is served may vary depending on the territory.
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2. Corn (maize): Corn is an annual cereal crop and a type of grain of the species Zea mays. It is the second-must consumed food in the world. Corn is consumed as food by both humans and livestock. It is equally a raw crop that is further used to produce edibles and biofuels. The relevance of corn in the production industry has contributed to its increased production rate. Corn is now cultivated in virtually all parts of the world.
The production corn is estimated at over 1.2 billion tones in a year. It was the Southern people that first domesticated corn. Today, the countries that top the list of maize production, consumption and exportation are the United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, India, Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia. Corn is a staple food for the majority of world’s population. It contains fibre Vitamin C, fat, carbohydrates, calories, protein, at sugars, Sodium and thiamin.
3. Wheat: Wheat is a light brown coloured cereal grains that yields flour. It is one of the largely produced and consumed foods across the globe. Wheat can also serve as raw material for further production of foods. Wheat contains dietary fibre, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, B-vitamins sodium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and protein.
There consumption of wheat has permeated over 173 countries. China is the global highest producer and consumer of wheat while Russia is the highest exporter. Other top wheat-producing countries include the United States, Canada, France, Pakistan, Turkey, India, Ukraine and Turkey.
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4. Egg: Eggs are common foods in all parts of the world laid by female birds and other animals. Annually, over 100 million metric tons of eggs are produced across the globe. Eggs are considered one of the most nutritious foods in the world. It contains almost all the vitamins and minerals needed in the human body system. Other of its contents is calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, Iron, choline, iodine and so on.
Eggs are affordable and easy to prepare in whichever way the consumer wants to. China is the leading egg producing and country in the world with multi-billions of egg production, followed by India, Indonesia, Unite States, France, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Slovakia, Malaysia, Belarus, Paraguay and Ukraine. Japan is considered the greatest consumer of eggs amidst other competing consumer countries.
5. Bread: Bread unlike the list so far, is not a natural food. It is an artificial production from flours. Bread is consumed by virtually all parts of the world. It can be bought and prepared in any manner the consumer so desires, even without any preparation or combination. Regardless of being an artificial produce, bread is endowed with nutritional values, the most dominant which is carbohydrate.
There are types that contain fibre. Being an artificial produce, bread can contain any nutritional element at the instance of the bakers. Germany is leading as the country that consumes bread the most. Other leading countries are Italy, Russia, Belgium, The Netherlands Greece, France, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Turkey. Bread is a least exported or imported produce because majority the countries do produce theirs.
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5. Pasta: Pasta is a starchy food made from flour, water and other ingredients. The production of pasta has as permeated virtually all parts of the world. So many countries produce pasta domestically and still import from other countries. Pastas are produced in their desired forms, shapes and sizes and can be consumed in any manner so desired by the consumer.
Common pastas are Spaghetti, Macaroni, Ravishi, Tagliatelle, Linguini, Tortellini and so on. Leading consumers of pasta are the United States Iran, Argentina, Russia, Chile, Italy Brazil, Germany, Tunisia, Greece, Venezuela and China.
7. Apple: Apple is a very ancient nutritional fruit that is known to and consumed by all the countries. It is the most popular fruits in the world. Apple is of varieties and some varieties do not grow in all parts of the country. So, there are countries that rely on importation of apples.
Yet, apple is one of the most consumed foods in the world. Apples are consumed the most by countries like China, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, South Africa, Poland, France, Germany, United States and Japan. Apple is a food without fault in its nutritional content. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization listed apple as the most consumed fruit in the world.
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8. Pizza: Pizza, though an artificial food, has gotten world recognition; pizza being consumed in most part of the world. Pizza has its origin from Italy. It is made of flour, cheese, tomatoes, meet, sausage, onions, mushrooms and other ingredients.
In fact, pizza is a food made up of certain ingredients. Leading pizza-eating countries are Norway, United States, United Kingdom, Dubai, Russia, Italy and Germany.
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9. Chicken: At all times, chicken is consumed every place and everywhere in the world. It is usually joined to others foods such as: jollof rice, salad, breadfruit, stew, soups and other delicious dishes. Sometimes chicken consumers may choose to roast, boil, fry, bake, or grill it depending on their choice and all these methods give good and delicious taste to it.
In every country, there is a dominant method used in preparing chicken. For instance, in the US, frying method is most suitable and popular. Fried chicken is consumed there more than any other meat and the same applies to other countries of the world. It is more nutritious, nourishing and good for health more than any other type of meat. Chicken is rich in calcium and protein. So, it is a world known bodybuilding food today.
Again, there are periods observed in the whole world when chicken are consumed. They are: Christmas period, Easter period, birthday periods, marriage ceremonies etc. However, beefs are consumed in these periods but chicken is usually and mostly consumed. Again, chicken can be stored by freezing or refrigeration. So, people buy it in bulk, store them in freezers or refrigerators, and use them in preparing different dishes intermittently.
10. Soup: This food is delicious and is always available in every family all over the world today. This means that it has been consumed by people all over the world. I really don’t know anyone. This food is in liquid form and can be: stew, cold, goulash, canned, and broth and its major ingredient is water, salt, some spices and vegetables.
Today, there are fruit soups, berry soups, and vegetable soups depending on the country each is consumed in the world. For instance, in Turkey, the most popular and consumed soup is “zesty soup” such as Ezogelin Corba.
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Conclusion
Foods that are in existence in the world today are numerous. This includes both natural and man-made foods. Somehow and for whatever reasons, a number of foods are very acceptable and have been accepted and being consumed more in many parts of the world. This article has highlighted the most consumed foods in the world.
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.