Food and Culture Project (Gridley)

Need a reminder? Download the assignment sheet before you get started. Also, remember to keep track of your sources as you research, including the source of your recipe and any visuals used in your presentation!

Country Information

These subscription databases and government websites provide authoritative information about the countries of the world.

• • World Geography and Culture Online - Find your country in the drop-down menu at the top of the screen, then use the table of contents on the left side of the screen to navigate the entire article, not just the first page. Click on People and Culture to see Religions, Cuisine, Holidays and Celebrations, and more. Get the database passwords online from this website (must be logged onto Spyponders account) or from your teacher.

  • Encyclopaedia Britannica - First search the regular encyclopedia entry for your country. Expand the table of contents under People to see Religion and under Cultural Life to see Daily Life and Social Customs, including cuisine. You can also try the World Atlas at the bottom right of your screen, under Reference Desk.

• CIA World Factbook - Great stats on history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, and more, from our very own Central Intelligence Agency.

• Library of Congress Country Studies - These in-depth profiles of countries include society, economy, politics, and more. The information on religion (for a short cut use the "find" function!) is very detailed but check the date at the bottom of the article; some are rather old.

• National Geographic - Excellent source of photos!

Recipe Resources

Consider searching for both the noun and adjective forms of your country (e.g., France and French, Greek and Greece) as well as specific dishes you are looking to make.

• • Food by Country - Exactly what it sounds like! Thanks to Ms. Bellahrossi for the great find!

  • Media Center Catalog - We have pulled most of our cookbook collection onto a cart for everyone to share. Use the catalog to preview the titles online or search for country books still on the shelves.

  • Robbins Library Catalog - More great books, from your local public library.

  • King Arthur Flour - My favorite source for bread recipes! Use the search bar at the top of the screen.

  • Global Gourmet: Global Destinations - Country food profiles with links to recipes and recommended cookbooks.

  • Allrecipes.com - Like the Wikipedia of cookbooks, users can contribute and review recipes. To get a sense of whether a recipe is truly authentic, read the reviews.

  • RecipeSource - Thousands of recipes submitted by users. I would compare these to other published or reviewed recipes for a sense of quality and authenticity before proceeding, but it's another good data point, especially for hard-to-find recipes.