What is Staple food?
A '''staple food''' is a [[food]] item that can be stored easily and eaten throughout the year. The term means the common basis of the everyday [[diet]] in a place. [[Potato]]es and [[rice]] are the most usual examples, but [[bread]] is ''not'' a staple food because it is a manufactured food which cannot be stored. Of course, it can always be made, since [[wheat]] ''is'' a staple food. [[Fruit]] is not a staple because it usually grows at a certain time of year. [[Meat]] is not a staple because it may not be available, or is expensive to buy. Green [[vegetables]] may be a staple in some countries, but not others. Foods which need special facilities, such as [[refrigerator|refrigeration]] are not staple foods. Here are some examples of staple foods: * [[Maize]] (corn) * [[Rice]] * [[Wheat]] * [[Potato]]es * [[Cassava]] * [[Soybeans]] * [[Sweet potato]]es * [[Yam]]s * [[Sorghum]] * [[Plantain]] * [[Barley]] (leaves) * [[Lentils]] == Pictures of common staple foods == <gallery> Image:Speltkorrels.jpg|[[Grain]]s Image:Various_types_of_potatoes_for_sale.jpg#file|Various types of potatoes File:Plantains.jpg|[[Plantain]]s, related to [[banana]] File:Boiled White rice.jpg|Boiled white rice File:Kidney beans.jpg|[[bean]]s File:YellowCorn.jpg|[[Maize]] File:Amaranth und WW.jpg|[[Amaranth]] (left) and [[wheat]] </gallery> {{food-stub}} [[Category:Foods]]