Common Grocery Items

• Bread has been an important food to civilizations from antiquity to the present. bread image by worklady from Fotolia.com

  While grocery items vary around the world, there are staple foods in every diet. Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods and has been a staple food in many cultures for hundreds of years. Rice is common in many cultures, particularly Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Both corn and potatoes are common grocery purchases worldwide because they are in ample supply and can be prepared many different ways.

Bread

• Bread is made by cooking a dough mixture made from flour and water. It is usually baked, and is one of the oldest prepared foods. Bread is most often made from wheat, but can also be made from corn, rye, barley and oats. It is most commonly sold in loaves.

Rice

• Rice is a common grocery item all over the world, especially in Asia and the Middle East. It is grown in areas with plenty of rainfall or access to irrigation. White and brown rice are two common grocery items. They come in differently sized bags and boxes, and are sold in varying degrees of quality, measured by milling degree, impurities and damaged kernels.

Corn

• Corn, or maize, boasts the highest worldwide production. Corn is most common in the Americas, where it was first cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs. Corn is sold in many different forms at grocery stores: corn on the cob, canned corn, cornmeal (flour), cornbread, popcorn and corn tortillas.

Potato

• The potato is a very adaptable crop that grows in cool, temperate climates. Potatoes produce large yields, which help feed an increasing worldwide demand for them in all its forms. Potatoes can be purchased in sacks of different varieties, and can be baked, boiled, fried (French fries), steamed or roasted.