With the advent of autumn, a new academic year began in many countries around the world, and the children went to schools to acquire new knowledge, so to speak, "food for the mind". But what about the food for the stomach?
Not so long ago we published a selection of the most useful school meals developed by the "Sweetgreen" restaurant network, taking into account the lifestyle and national traditions of the population of different countries. It's time to find out what the schoolchildren actually feed during the second breakfasts and dinners in different parts of our planet.
Immediately make a small clarification - there are no single meals in schools. In private schools, they feed better, in public schools they are often worse. And there are regions where food is not provided at all, and children bring lunches with them.
1. France
French schoolchildren eat the way, as not always dine even adults. Their school lunch consists of French fries, mussels, artichokes, buns, yogurt, halves of grapefruit and lemon tart.
Or baguette, a salad of fresh vegetables, couscous and vegetable stew with a steak.
And there are still these options:
2. Great Britain
There are a lot of Indians studying in England, so in the school canteens there is a vegetarian set of foods on the menu: peas, corn, baked potatoes, cauliflower, pudding, fruit salad.
Regular schoolchildren are offered lasagna, pasta, burgers and potatoes at home. Agree, the choice is great.
3. Sweden
Swedish schoolchildren prefer for dinner a dish of potatoes, cabbage and beans. On the table there are always crackers and berry juice.
4. Czech Republic
The school lunch menu for schoolchildren in the Czech Republic consists of soup, rice with chicken goulash, dessert and hot tea.
There is also such an option as a sandwich with cheese, broccoli, mashed potatoes and peach.
5. Slovakia
In the neighborhood with the Czech Republic is Slovakia. Slovaks are great lovers of fish dishes. On the student's dining table you will see smoked mackerel, bread, red pepper, tomato salad, kiwi, apples, milk and cake. Is not it an interesting combination?
Or fish fillet, sweet potatoes, red pepper, radish and carrots.
6. Spain
In this European country since childhood principles of healthy nutrition have been instilled. Therefore, in school for lunch, children are given vegetable cream soup, fried veal, salad, bread, oranges and bananas.
7. Italy
Italian children get a tasty and balanced meal for lunch, which consists of traditional pasta, fish, salad, bread and grapes.
8. Finland
In Finland, a school lunch consists mainly of vegetables rich in vitamins, pea soup, crispy bread and a sweet pancake with berries. Such a dinner does not overload the body and gives a fairly strong charge of energy.
9. Estonia
The lunch of Baltic schoolchildren, usually, consists of a portion of rice with meat, salad from red cabbage, bread from bran and a cup of cocoa.
Or portions of potatoes, meat, carrots and cranberry mors.
10. Greece
In Greek school canteens for dinner, they offer a baked chicken with rhizoni (shortened pasta resembling large grains of rice), a traditional dish of Greek cuisine - stuffed grape leaves, a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, yoghurt with pomegranate and two oranges.
11. USA
More than one generation of the US has grown up, eating fast food. Ironically, this country occupies one of the leading places for the most unhealthy school lunch. Here pupils are offered pizza, celery with peanut butter, fritos chips, fruit jelly, rice cookies, chocolate milk.
Cheeseburger, potato balls, ketchup, chocolate milk and chocolate pudding.
A hot (!) Hot dog with cheese, French fries and milk.
Nachos, French fries, ketchup, chocolate milk and peach.
But just a "modest" American lunch - a serving of chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots and water.
12. Brazil
The traditional lunch of Brazilian schoolchildren includes meat with rice, green salad, pudding and strawberry juice.
13. Cuba
Old Havana. The traditional food of Cuban schoolchildren is still considered rice. Beans, a roasted banana and a piece of fish are served to it.
14. Japan
In the country of the rising sun, schoolchildren usually eat fried fish, dried seaweed, tomatoes, miso soup with potatoes, rice in a metal container and milk.
Or sweet moti rice with, again, sweet potatoes and black sesame seeds, soup with tofu and seaweed, radish salad and seaweed, roasted sea bass and mandarin.
Bread toasted with curry, chicken with tomato sauce and pasta, scrambled eggs, potato salad, green beans, apple, tomato.
Mapo tofu, fish cake, apple, boiled quail egg, beef with bean sprouts and rice with salmon
In some Japanese schools there is a more traditional, in our opinion, menu: sausage, bun, cabbage salad, tomatoes, French fries and soup.
Bread, watermelon, pasta, eggs and bacon, vegetable soup, milk, ketchup and butter.
15. South Korea
South Korean schoolchildren with pleasure absorb broccoli and pepper, fried rice with tofu, sauerkraut and fish soup. Simple and, at the same time, very useful lunch.
16. Argentina
Traditionally, in schools in Buenos Aires, schoolchildren eat a dish called "Milanese". It is nothing but a chicken fried in breadcrumbs and eggs, as well as empanada (patty with stuffing) and potatoes or rice as a garnish.
17. Mali
In the capital of Mali, most students study from noon to 3 pm, so that they can dine with their families or buy themselves some kind of food. Then they return to the class until 5 pm
18. Indonesia
Another one of those countries where a healthy diet takes a key place. School lunch consists of vegetables, soup with meatballs, tofu (soy cottage cheese) and rice. Schoolchildren are also given free rice with sugar, which they eat along with products brought from home.
19. Ecuador
In this country, lunch for schoolchildren is prepared at home. Children bring lavash, stewed turnips and mangoes or a sandwich with ham, cheese and tomato, as well as apples and a drink from cereals.
20. Palestine
It is also customary to bring lunch with you. Children bring sandwiches, which are called zaatar. It is pita bread stuffed with dried thyme and sesame, sprinkled with olive oil.
21. China
The lunch of Chinese schoolchildren is quite substantial and balanced. The menu for this lunch consists of fish with rice, scrambled eggs with tomato sauce, cauliflower and soup.
Or cabbage bok-choi, pork and mushrooms, yu-hsiang sauce, steamed bread and soup.
22. Haiti
The menu of the school lunch of Haiti is quite simple, it consists of brown rice and beans. But, it seems, the children are full and happy.
23. Singapore
Students of this country are having a very satisfying lunch. There are fried anchovies, omelette, roast with cabbage and tomatoes, soybean sprouts, and even chicken chops. Indeed, all the best - for children.
Fried fish in egg sauce, vegetables, crab meat and tempura shrimp, miso soup, rice with black sesame, salad.
24. India
The school lunches of this country vary depending on the region. Usually it is rice, curry and chapati (lavash from wheat flour).
In the international school of Bangalore, schoolchildren are offered fish nuggets, spring rolls and salad.
25. Israel
In the menu of school lunch in Israel must include falafel - fried in deep fried balls of chopped chickpeas or beans. The dish is so popular in this country that it is considered a national and, to some extent, its symbol. To this tasty dish children put on plates plates of pita, yogurt with a sauce of cucumbers and greens.
26. Kenya
Kenyan schoolchildren receive an avocado for lunch. Sparse, right?
27. Honduras
And their peers from Honduras rice porridge.
And what about us?
28.Russia
Often on the tables of Russian schoolchildren you can see soup, a cutlet with pasta, a few vegetables and juice for baby food. But most of high school students prefer to bring lunch from home in a container or buy food in the nearest stores.
29. Ukraine
Dinners of Ukrainian schoolchildren are rather monotonous. The menu, usually, consists of soup, buckwheat porridge or pasta with a chop, salad from boiled beet, dressed with sunflower oil, bread and tea. You will not stay hungry after such a dinner. But children do not really like school food.
30. Byelorussia
Here, too, everything is traditional: viscous oatmeal, a sandwich with sausage and a coffee drink with whole milk.
Grout with milk, bread, rice porridge, poultry fillet, salad, compote of prunes.
It is worth noting that the time allotted for a lunch break in the countries of Europe and America is not significantly different, it averages 1-1.5 hours.
Unfortunately, in our schools the lunchtime change does not exceed 20-25 minutes. Although it has long been no secret that the slow consumption of food brings more benefits to the child's body than rapid swallowing. Tasty and healthy food between classes at school is the guarantee of good health of the younger generation.