Food: Where Does It Come From Class 6 Chapter Notes

Key Terms to Remember

Ingredients

The materials or components needed to prepare a food dish. For example, rice, salt, and water are ingredients for boiled rice.

Edible

Anything that is safe or fit to be eaten. For example, the fruit of an apple tree is edible, but its leaves are not.

Nectar

A sweet liquid found in flowers, which is collected by bees to make honey.

Sprouted Seeds

Seeds from which small, white structures have grown out. They are considered very nutritious. Example: Sprouted moong dal.

Herbivore

An animal that eats only plants or plant products. Examples: Cow, deer, goat.

Carnivore

An animal that eats other animals. Examples: Lion, tiger, snake.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals. Examples: Human, bear, crow.

Main Sources of Food: Plants and Animals

All living organisms need food to survive, grow, and get energy. The food we eat comes from two primary sources: plants and animals.

Plants as a Source of Food:
We consume various parts of different plants. It's important to know that for some plants, we eat multiple parts, while for others, only one part is edible. The main edible parts are:

• Roots: We eat the roots of plants like carrots, radishes, beetroots, and turnips.
• Stems: Some plant stems are edible, such as potato (which is a modified underground stem), sugarcane, and ginger.
• Leaves: Leafy vegetables are a common part of our diet. Examples include spinach, cabbage, lettuce, and methi (fenugreek).
• Flowers: Some flowers are also eaten as food, like cauliflower and broccoli.
• Fruits: Many plants store their food in fruits, which we eat raw or cooked. Examples are apples, bananas, mangoes, and tomatoes (which is botanically a fruit).
• Seeds: We consume seeds in various forms, such as cereals (rice, wheat), pulses (dal, beans), and nuts (almonds, cashews). Seeds like mustard are also used to extract oil.

Animals as a Source of Food:
Animals provide us with several important food products:

• Milk: We get milk from animals like cows, buffaloes, and goats. Milk is used to make other products like cheese, butter, ghee, and curd.
• Eggs: Hens and ducks are the most common sources of eggs, which are rich in protein.
• Meat: We get meat from animals like goats, chicken, and fish.
• Honey: This sweet liquid is made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Bees store honey in their beehives.

Must Remember

• Food provides energy for activities, materials for growth, and helps our bodies fight diseases.
• The two main sources of food for all living things are plants and animals.
• We eat different parts of plants like roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds.
• Not all plants are edible; some can be poisonous.
• Animals like cows and buffaloes give us milk, which is a complete food.
• Honey is produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers.
• Animals are classified into three categories based on their food habits: herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
• Sprouting involves soaking seeds in water until they germinate, which increases their nutritional value.
• Humans are omnivores because we consume both plant products (vegetables, fruits, grains) and animal products (milk, eggs, meat).

Herbivores vs. Carnivores vs. Omnivores

Breaking Down Food Items

• Kheer Ingredients: Milk, Rice, Sugar Sources: Animal (Cow/Buffalo), Plant (Paddy plant), Plant (Sugarcane plant)
• Idli Ingredients: Rice, Urad Dal, Salt, Water Sources: Plant, Plant, Sea Water, Natural
• Chicken Curry Ingredients: Chicken, Spices, Oil/Ghee, Water Sources: Animal, Plant, Plant/Animal, Natural

Exam Tip

A common question asks you to identify the edible part of a plant. Be careful! For example, a potato is an underground stem, not a root. Similarly, ginger is also a stem. Create a small table of common vegetables and their edible parts to memorize them easily before the exam. Also, when asked to classify animals, always give at least two examples unless specified otherwise.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: Name two plants whose seeds we eat. A: We eat the seeds of wheat (for flour) and mustard (for oil and spice).
• Q: What is the source of honey? A: The source of honey is nectar from flowers, which is collected and processed by honeybees.
• Q: Classify a bear based on its food habits and give a reason. A: A bear is an omnivore because it eats both plants (like berries and roots) and animals (like fish and small mammals).
• Q: List the ingredients and their sources for making vegetable curry. A: Ingredients could be vegetables, spices, oil, and water. The sources are: Vegetables (Plant), Spices (Plant), Oil (Plant, e.g., mustard seed), and Water (Natural).

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions