Taste the world
You’ll need
- Chopping boards
- Knives
- Bowls
- Wooden skewers
- Tables
- Pens or pencils
- Blindfolds
- A tin-opener
- Tea towels
- Fruits from different countries
Before you begin
- Double-check if anyone has any allergies.
- Make sure that you have plenty of fruits that were originally grown in different countries. We’ve included a table to help you – this activity’s about where the fruits were originally grown, not where they’re grown today.
- Ideally, everyone should have the chance to try something from all the continents, except Antarctica. Getting all of the fresh fruits on the ‘Taste the world’ table below might be tough, so look for tinned varieties too. You won’t even have to cut these up!
- Make sure that chopping boards, knives, skewers and bowls or plates are all clean. Check that the table’s clean too.
- Cut all the fruit into bite-sized pieces with the knife. Skewer each piece and place it on a plate or chopping board. Set out the fruit on the table. Cover the portions of fruit with a tea towel, so they aren’t visible.
Taste sensations
- Everyone should split into small groups.
- The person leading the activity should give each group a map of the world and some pens or pencils.
- Each group should then choose one person to go first. The people going first should go to the table of fruit and put on the blindfold. Everyone else should look at their maps, so they don’t accidentally see what fruit’s being eaten. Check that the people trying the fruit can’t see.
- The person leading the activity should take some pieces of fruit from under the tea towel and hand it to the people trying the fruit. They should eat the fruit, then, once they’ve swallowed it, they should take their blindfolds off and return to their group.
- Once they get back to their group, the people who tried the fruit should write down what they think it was on the back of their group’s map.
- The groups should work together to decide which continent they think that fruit comes from. The taster can help their group by describing more about what the fruit was like, even if they don’t know its name.
- Once each group has chosen a continent, another person from each group should repeat steps three to eight until everyone in each group has had the chance to try something (or all the fruits have been tasted).
- The person leading the activity should reveal what each fruit was, and where it originally came from. Each group should check how many they got right – the one with the most is the winner.
- The person leading the activity should remove the tea towels from the table. Everyone should eat the leftover fruit – they could try to eat something they didn’t try the first time around.
North America
- Oranges (Florida, USA)
- Ackee (Jamaica)
- Cranberries (Appalachian Mountains, USA)
- Tomatoes (USA)
- Pineapples (Costa Rica)
South America
- Avocados (Mexico)
- Passion fruit (Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina)
- Papaya (Mexico)
Europe
- Apples (England)
- Lemons (Italy, Spain)
- Raspberries (Russia, England, Serbia, Poland)
Africa
- Watermelons (Kalahari desert)
- Bananas (Ghana, Uganda) – Can also be South America or North America
- Pineapples (Ghana, Ivory Coast)
Asia
- Jackfruit (Bangladesh, Indonesia)
- Kiwi (China)
- Lychees (Japan)
- Mangoes (Philippines, India)
Australia
- Eucalyptus (This is a plant rather than a fruit, however most native Australian fruits are difficult to come by)
Antarctica
- Due to the harsh conditions in Antarctica, it’s very difficult to grow any foods
Reflection
The group have tasted some fruits from all over the world. Did it surprise you to learn how many miles some fruit travels to get to you? Which continents and countries do we rely on most for the fruit we need? How can we help these places continue to grow fruit for the world?
There was a wide variety of colours and textures in the fruits the group tried. Eating a diverse selection of fruit is the best way to enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet. How can you remind yourself to eat different coloured and textured fruits? Is there an easier way to get all these different foods into your diet at once (e.g. smoothies, fruit salad)?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Food
Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.
If you want to catch people out, why not offer the same fruit to two people in a row? They might think someone’s confused, or they might work together to figure out what you’re up to.
You could give hints if people are finding it especially tricky to identify the fruit or where they originated from, for example, telling people what colour the fruit is, or telling them one of the continents it isn’t from.
If anyone has allergies or intolerances, don’t use fruits that they don’t eat so they know it’s safe for them to try everything.
If anyone doesn’t want to be blindfolded, they could cover their eyes with a hand while they try the fruit instead.
If anyone’s not sure if they want to taste the fruit, they could use their other senses. They may be able to feel the ripples of an orange, squish some avocado, or feel the seeds in a tomato. They could also smell the foods. You could also give people a napkin, so they know they can spit it out if they don’t like it being in their mouths.
If people don’t want to get involved with the tasting at all, that’s OK – they can still help their group decide where each fruit came from.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
If there’s leftover fruit at the end of the activity, why not organise the fruits into their continents, to create an edible fruity map?
People might want to look at the packaging to see where the fruits were actually grown. Supermarket websites often tell you all of the countries a fruit might come from too. Why do people think that tomatoes, which used to be grown in the US, are now grown in countries like Poland, the Netherlands, and Senegal?