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Year 3

Familiar and unfamiliar foods to me

I can describe the appearance and taste of foods unfamiliar to me.

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New
New
Year 3

Familiar and unfamiliar foods to me

I can describe the appearance and taste of foods unfamiliar to me.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There is a wide range of dishes and meals cooked and eaten around the world.
  2. Although some dishes and meals look unfamiliar to me, they are based on food from plants and animals.
  3. Different utensils are used to eat food, such as a knife, fork, spoon and chopsticks. Sometimes food is eaten by hand.
  4. The intensity of sensory attributes can be described, such as mild and strong, or soft and chewy.

Keywords

  • Cutlery - a knife, fork and spoon for eating food

  • Chopsticks - two thin sticks that are used to eat food, held in one hand

  • Sensory words - words used to describe the appearance, smell and taste of food

  • Utensils - tools used for eating and cooking

Common misconception

Unfamiliar dishes or meals cannot be made in the UK, as they use unusual foods.

Although some dishes and meals look unfamiliar, they are all from plants and animals and can be made in the UK. They are based on fruit and vegetables; potatoes, bread, rice or pasta; dairy and alternatives; beans, eggs, fish or meat.


To help you plan your year 3 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Familiar and unfamiliar foods to me, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

To bring the lesson to life, have a range of cutlery, chopsticks and other eating utensils for the pupils to handle. For the tasting activity, have the foods already prepared and cut into small portions - making it easier to share between the pupils. Select foods that would be unfamiliar to most.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - may contain allergens
  • Risk assessment required - equipment
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What are these called?
An image in a quiz
radishes
Correct answer: raspberries
rhubarb
Q2.
Match the following:
Correct Answer:We use our eyes to describe ...,the appearance of food.
tick

the appearance of food.

Correct Answer:We use our nose to describe ...,the smell of food.
tick

the smell of food.

Correct Answer:We use our mouth to describe ...,the taste of food.
tick

the taste of food.

Q3.
True or false? We need a variety and balance of foods to stay healthy.
Correct answer: True
False
Q4.
We all need to eat more fruit and vegetables. How much should we have?
Correct answer: 5 A DAY
5 A WEEK
5 A MONTH
Q5.
Where should the following food go in the Eatwell Guide? Tuna fish, baked beans, boiled egg, grilled chicken.
An image in a quiz
Fruit and vegetables
Potatoes, bread, rice and pasta
Correct answer: Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat
Dairy and alternatives
Q6.
What is happening here?
An image in a quiz
simmering
boiling
Correct answer: stir frying
shallow frying

5 Questions

Q1.
Unfamiliar dishes or meals cannot be made in the UK, as they use unusual foods.
True
Correct answer: False
Q2.
Match the dish to the country:
Correct Answer:Okonomiyaki,Japan
tick

Japan

Correct Answer:Haggis,Scotland
tick

Scotland

Correct Answer:Ackee and saltfish,Jamaica
tick

Jamaica

Q3.
What is being used here?
An image in a quiz
tongs
forks
Correct answer: chopsticks
Q4.
Which food could be eaten by hand?
Correct answer: pizza
Correct answer: curry and rice
soup
roast dinner
Q5.
We can describe the appearance, smell and taste of food using ...
science words
scenic words
Correct answer: sensory words