Seasonal food refers to the times of the year when the harvest or the flavour of a given type of food is at its peak. This is usually the time when the item is harvested, with some exceptions; an example being

sweet potatoes The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of the ...

which are best eaten several weeks after harvest. Seasonal food reduces the

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

resulting from food consumption and is integral in a low carbon diet.

Macrobiotic diet A macrobiotic diet (or macrobiotics) is an unconventional restrictive diet based on ideas about types of food drawn from Zen Buddhism. The diet tries to balance the supposed yin and yang elements of food and cookware. Major principles of macrobi ...

s emphasize eating locally grown foods that are in season.

History

The seasonal food of Korea were formed against the backdrop of a natural environment where changes in farming life and four seasons were evident, and different depending on the failure, influenced by various geographical environments. In contrast, summer diet consisted of green beans radish, lettuces, chicories, aubergine, carrots, cucumber, gherkins, watercress, marrow, courgettes, and rice. The meat accompanied these vegetables consisted mainly of poultry, ostrich and beef products. Fruity desserts included fruits such as lemon, lime quinces, nectarines, mulberry, cherries, plums, apricot, grapes, pomegranates, watermelon, pears, apple, and melon. Meanwhile, the drinks involved syrups and jams. Fruit pastels, lemon, rose, jasmine, ginger and fennel. In autumn, meals included cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, gourd, wheat, barley, millet, turnips, parsnips, onions, acorns, peanuts, pulses, and olive oil. Drinks incorporated aromatic herbs and flower distillations of essential oils. In the digital age, apps and websites track in-season food.

Climate impact

Use of food according to its seasonal availability can reduce the

resulting from food consumption ( food miles). According to a 2021 study backed by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, more than a third of global

come from food production, processing, and packaging.

Gallery of seasonal food

File:Hwajeon Cooking 10.jpg, '' Hwajeon'' (flower cakes), made in spring using

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s File:022 Polish cuisine, soup in Poland - botwinka soup made from beetroot leaves and root vegetables, served with egg.jpg, ''Botwinka'', beet leaves soup typical for late spring in

Polish cuisine Polish cuisine ( ) is a style of food preparation originating in and widely popular in Poland. Due to History of Poland, Poland's history, Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to be very eclectic, and shares many similarities with other ...

File:Gazpacho (4826276524).jpg, ''

Gazpacho Gazpacho () or gaspacho (), also called Andalusian gazpacho (from Spanish ''gazpacho andaluz''), is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian Peninsula and spread into other are ...

'', a

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

made of raw blended

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s and served cold File:Com.JPG, '' Cốm'' (green rice), a dish traditionally associated with

autumn Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemisphe ...

File:Glühwein Weinnachtsmarkt OS.JPG, '' Glühwein'' (mulled wine), a hot

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

drink made in

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

References

{{reflist

External links

BBC Good Food
- Seasonality table (UK)
BBC Food
- ''In season'' section
Seasonal food calendar
(note: this site requires you to enter a New York zip code. 10003 is one that will work)

- Japanese-English Syun 旬 Seasonal Dictionary with photo (JP) Lists of foods Simple living Food industry

History

Climate impact

Gallery of seasonal food

See also

References

External links