Food Folklore and Children’s Books

Recently, I have been reading more children’s books and one trend I have noticed is the rise in books about food! Now, this may be because as a Canadian immigrant (and something most immigrants can attest to) food has always been a constant source of embarrassment, history and comfort.

I know it’s hard to believe nowadays because food is no longer such a big deal and multiculturalism (at least when it comes to food in some places) is ‘cool.’ The number of fusion restaurants opening at any given time or trending recipes circulating social media can attest to it. However, learning to love your countries food in the diaspora used to be hard!

But it is because of food that we can partake in our culture and our history from a distance. Our parents were transplanted from their homes and arrived elsewhere, but they brought with them stories and recipes!

Food and Folklore

Bear with me a second longer and I’ll get to the point of why a fairy-tale and folktale podcast is talking about food. You see, we carry recipes with us the same way we carry stories. It originates in one location and then travels and as it does, it changes. Maybe a certain ingredient can’t be found in a certain location and so it gets replaced. Overtime, the name changes and the methods change. Finally, we reach the stage where strangers on the internet argue in the comments of food blogs and Instagram reels about the true name of a dish.

The same is true for stories. Travellers, merchants, soldiers, immigrants- everyone carries their stories with them and that is why we have so many variants of the stories we tell today. Listen to any episode of the podcast and you’ll hear us talk about where else you can find a variation of any given tale or the ATU Index number so you can find similar tale types. In the same way, you’ll find arguments in every corner about where a story is “really” from and how it should really be told.

So, here are some children’s books that tie in food, culture and heritage. Thank you Netgalley for the copies of “Curry means More” by Maria Marianayagam (publishing October 2025) and “Tali and the Timeless Time” by Mira Z. Amiras.

Salma the Syrian Chef

Author: Danny Ramadan / Illustrator: Anna Bron

There is something about Salma, a young Syrian girl trying to make her mother smile through food that made me tear up while reading this story. Away from home and everything she knows, all Salma wants to do is find comfort for her mother and see her smile, but its hard in a new land with a new language and new people. Somehow, through the help of others at the Welcome Centre, Salma gets her mother to laugh.

“…but all she gets is mama’s sad smile, full of love but empty of joy.”

Fry Bread

Author: Kevin Noble Maillard / Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal

Kevin Noble Maillard’s story about what fry bread is starts with shape and sound but quickly begins to explain how fry bread is more than just food- it is a symbol of Native American resilience and strength. During a time when Natives were forcibly removed from their lands and homes, they had to adapt to new ways of life. Despite the simplicity of the dish, it is so much more than just flour, water salt and yeast. The story is accompanied by an extensive author’s note that shares more about the history, spread and differences in Fry Bread.

“Fry bread is history
The long walk, the stolen land
Strangers in our own world
With unknown food
We made new recipes
With what we had.”

Our World of Dumplings

Author: Francie Dekker / Illustrator: Sarah Jung

Nine children run around their apartment complex as they help their parents and each other make batches of dumplings for their dumpling day celebration! Each family has their own type- Indian momo’s, Jamacian johnnycakes, Jewish kreplach, Chinese jiao zi, Geogian khinkali, Peruvian empanadas, South African souskluitjies, Italian gnocci and finally, Polish pierogi’s! Every household pays their own tribute to their dumpling and their culture!

Author: Shruthi Rao / Illustrator: Darshika Varma

KadooBoo!

Young Kabir can’t seem to remember the name of the sweets he’s running home to his mother! Based on a South Indian folktale, can Kabir make it home before it rains? Now this is a story that is quite literally food folklore! Silly, fun and full of charm that is perfect for getting laughs out of young readers!

Tali and the Timeless Time

Author: Mira Z. Amiras / Illustrators: Chantelle and Burgen Thorne

This was given to us as an advanced readers copy from Netgalley and The Collective Book Studio.

The story follows Tali as she visits her grandmother to prepare for Sefardi Shabbat, however, as they bake and cooke up a feast, Tali realizes her grandmother is lost in her memories more often than not. Dealing with slightly more complex themes of memory loss and the abstract concept of “timeless time”, this story is better for an older audience.

Seoul Food

Author: Erin Danielle Russell / Illustrator: Tamisha Anthony

“Seoul food” navigates the complexities of being biracial as Hana tries to host the perfect dinner for her grandparents. On her Korean side, they love kimchi-jjigae, but on her American side they love gumbo! So what does she do? Well, kimchi gumbo of course! As cultures mix, so do their recipes and stories and this story is a celebration of love.

Curry Means More

Author: Maria Marianayagam / Illustrator: Geeta Ladi

This was given to us as an advanced reader copy from Netgalley and Astra Young Readers (publishing October 14th 2025).

There is something comforting about books that showcase other countries cultures, especially through food. That is one thing I love about Canada, especially Toronto with the wide array of restaurants and (better-yet) friends with empty dinner tables. I feel like as a Tamil Sri-Lankan Canadian, Maria Marianayagam, captures a beautiful story of heritage and pride- shaping the smell of curry not as something to be ashamed of, but as connection and comfort. The way the story reads is also perfect for starting conversations about recipes, spices, ingredients and family stories with your children- especially the detailed notes at the end!

Bilal Cooks Daal

Author: Aisha Saeed / Illustrator: Anoosha Syed

No list about food and children’s books is complete without Aisha Saeed’s “Bilal Cooks Daal.” Saeed’s inspiration came from her middle son who wanted to share his favourite food with his classmates but was surprised to learn that no one knew what daal was! In the story, six-year old Bilal teaches his friends how to cook daal with his dad and while the story briefly touches upon insecurities, it does not delve into them.

There are so many more books that cover food and history! Some honorable mentions include: