Children benefit from exposure to 'exotic' foods

According to psychologist Patricia Pliner at the University of Toronto, food neophobia -- or the unwillingness to try new foods -- is a survival tactic left over from the days when our ancestors foraged in the woods at mealtime.

"It stopped them from eating things that might have killed them," she explains. "But now we forage at the grocery store, so a fear of eating new foods isn't really that useful."

But while food neophobia may no longer be necessary, any parent of a picky eater will agree it is still a major problem.


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Exotic Foods: A Kitchen and Garden Guide

This book is a collection of short articles drawn from Living off the Land Subtropic Newsletter. The book covers all kinds of rare fruit, ranging from calamondin and kumquat to jaboticaba, carob, jujube and other trees. The articles are contributed by a variety of authors and rare-fruit growers mostly located in Florida and are a mix of fact and personal anecdotes from the writers. Some other fruits covered include: macadamia, lychee, loquat, mango, papaya, guava, sapodilla, nogal, Surinam cherry and carambola as well as domestic apples, peaches and pears.

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