I added matcha to my shortbread and even DH liked it. For So. America I always think of dulce de leche on apples.

I'm not sure about the pairings, so I'll just offer up some treat ideas in case some sound good to you.

Halvah for Middle East.

Baklava for Greece.

Red Bean Mochi may not be shelf stable enough. They're best fresh that day. The Chinese ones are kind of big, but the Japanese ones are a perfect size and keep for a day or two in the fridge. They don't need to be kept chilled on the day at all and should be served room temperature. I don't think they'd be difficult for the kids, but you know them best.

Alternatively, there are salty almond cookies, though I don't know how authentic they are. Some Japanese treats really are a stretch for the American kids' palate. I've been planning to make Chinese green pea cookies.

For Mexico most people think of churros, but I think of mixed pans dulces.

I don't know much about Southern Africa, other than they have a lot of puddings and fried sweets, but for NE, how about himbasha? It's more of a slightly sweet spiced bread, but a holiday treat, and very interesting looking.

Chinese almond cookies, would that count? I also saw a recipe somewhere for mint sugar cookies around the holidays, but those called for fresh mint. Oh - mint tea and something sesame for the Middle East? Or something with rosewater?

Sesame seed candies are a good one! Not hard to find or too costly, a little different but not scary, and they can represent a wide variety of countries. I always thought of them as Middle Eastern. But when we were in India, we stopped by the side of the road to watch a woman leading an ox making sesame oil. She offered us homemade sesame candies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_seed_candy

This is what it looked like but she is making coconut oil

ETA - and you can make them; this recipe is highly rated

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sesame_brittle/

Oh btw, just to clarify, you aren't looking to serve "'herbal teas' and treats" from each region, you are looking to serve "herbal teas" and "herbal treats" from each region?

So the treat needs an herbal component as well?

Chinese peanut candy is very similar to peanut brittle and easy to make:

Chinese peanut candy recipe

Coconut candy seems to be popular in different parts of Africa:

African coconut candy

Some of these sounded fabulous:

https://www.tasteatlas.com/most-popular-pastries-in-africa

Rosewater got me thinking of Turkish Delight. Not sure where that would fit in your menu.

My favorite Chinese dessert is sesame balls, but I wouldn't want to tackle making those at home, though I did find a recipe. Sounds like they are best eaten the day they are made.

Somewhere I have a recipe for a supposedly chinese almond cookie....which is pretty much a drop sugar cookie using lard for shortening and omitting vanilla in favor of almond flavoring and topped woth a blanched almond.

I'm looking for something that the average American kid could make in their home kitchen and the teas AND the snacks both have to have an herbal component, although it could be spices too. Something that comes from a plant and gives flavor. Could be saffron, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, etc. I'm looking for something from each continent and a tea and snack that compliment each other and something that will be appealing to the average American kid's palate.

So interesting! I don’t have any good ideas...but it makes me wonder what someone from another country would consider if they needed an American treat kids would like...Toll House cookies? Apple pie? Do they even “study” our culture like we do others? I feel certain they do...but since our culture is relatively “new” and so pervasive....I wonder if grade school kids study it to the extent our children study European, Asian, and Central/South American cultures. Or do they lump us in with GB, since former colony and all....We don’t really spend a lot of time on Canadian and Australian culture in school, you know.

Sorry, didn’t mean to hijack! Just pondering....

I gave a presentation to a class of schoolkids in Fowey, Cornwall a few years ago about certain aspects of life in my state and they were genuinely interested, with many questions. I think kids everywhere are eager and curious to know more about how others around the world live, and imagine the kids you're doing this for will "eat it up" and find it quite memorable!

More clarification please? I get it about not just flout and sugar, though both are from plants, but seeds, beans and nuts don't count?

I think she just means it should highlight or feature an herb or spice taste since it’s a lesson in herbs? And it should be simple with the hope the kid will learn something, go home, and maybe be inspired to cook with herbs?

rosemary olive oil tea cakes - europe

galub jamon (with cardamom) - india

anisette biscotti - europe

Aztec chocolate something - South America

Not sure what the premise of your lesson is.. but it seems a bit aggressive to hit all your points.

• A traditional treat from a continent/region
• to pair with a tea (or hot beverage? must it be hot?) from the region,
• with a spice or herb
• that would please an American palate AND
• that they'll want to make at home

For a target audience of 3rd graders, maybe you'd do better to break it into components/different lessons. 1. Teas of the world, 2. Treats showcasing various spices and herbs-- even this could be broken into multiple lessons.

Forgive me if I am missing something -- but the truth is so many spices are available world wide that it gets a little muddy to try to nail one down. As you pointed out, there are a number of spices and herbs could represent every continent.

Based on the foregoing suggestions (several of which would tick all the boxes(, what have you decided on and where do you still have gaps?

Yes I am combining a lot of things, but I don't have to do them all when I narrow down the field. For next week, the emphasis is on herbs, but the overall project is going to be an emphasis on "afternoon tea." I'm going to come up with several themed teas for kids. This one is a riff on "tea around the world" but I also have ideas for "Buggy Sluggy Tea" "Fairy Tea" "T-Rex Tea" (dinosaur tea), "Doll Tea" "Tea With the Animals" "Flower Tea" etc.

The teas don't have to represent the whole diverse continent in one pairing, just something that highlights the herbs and spices used in some of the countries there. I'm having a hard time leaving out chocolate for S. America since that is one of the products coming out of there that revolutionized the world, along with also coffee from Africa. But they drink tea in all those places too . . .

I too have often been asked about foods that are typically "American" and I always respond that we are a melting pot and there is no one food that represents all of us. Truly "American" things come from the Native Americans, so popcorn and corn snacks of all kinds, even something like "Cheetoes" is American. Pumpkin pie maybe. Turkey and even that is not all over the country. There are so many regions so even if I said, "Maple syrup" that would include Canada and maybe only the Midwestern and New England regions. Besides, who regularly eats maple syrup in the US anymore. McDonalds is the representative of "typical" American because they are the same in every state, mostly. Or any chain, Starbucks, etc. That's America, put a ubiquitous stamp on a local custom and mass market it to the world. Pizza is the most American thing I can think of, the kind you find at Dominoes and all the other ubiquitous chains. Chicken wings.

So far I have narrowed it down to these options listed below. Africa is giving me the most trouble. N. Africa of course was the spice and tea route but the spices and tea weren't necessarily grown there. Chamomile and hibiscus are big herbal teas grown there, and rooibos. I'm open to any suggestions and tweaks.

Europe: either chamomile or catnip, with perhaps an anisette cookie. Not sure if kids will like them, but maybe if I make them mild enough.

Asia: for sentimental reasons I'm going with Japan. Green tea with ginger. I'm thinking maybe rice crispie treats with dried cherries and almonds. They are not mochi, but that stuff has to be steamed or fried and served right after eating. Possibly a jasmine tea, although that is mostly Chinese, with a macha flavored shortbread. I don't know if the kids will like the jasmine tea, it is an acquired taste. There are Japanese herbal teas too, (like buckwheat tea, for example) but I don't see them being popular with kids . . .

S. America: this one was tough, because hot chocolate would be the beverage of choice there, but I'm going with either hibiscus or lemon verbena tea, since they are popular in Mexico and marvelous. Mexican wedding cake cookies flavored with vanilla for the treat.

Africa: that one was the toughest. I've decided to emphasize the spice routes of N. Africa, and do an Assam from India paired with either a yam or pumpkin scone flavored with spice, or a banana spice bread or maybe date spice bread or date spice candy rolled in coconut, all of which I have made. Possibly rooibos instead of the Assam. or chamomile tea which is big in N. Africa.

I haven't included Australia, but I think for next week I am going to stick with what is manageable. Most of the stuff from Australia is heavily British influenced. Maybe a lemony tea with a kiwi tart or an oat biscuit.

Here's a tasty snack I have made with elementary age kids. I believe it's from Ethiopia. It's basically little nuggets of spiced wheat cooked in a skillet, so it's a good one if you don't have access to an oven. We made it in an electric skillet.

There are many sites with recipes for this. I'm posting the first one that came up for me.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dabo-kolo-134978

Sounds wonderful, I pink. Will you use your teapot collection? Was that the inspiration?

Yes it is the inspiration, and if any of these programs expand, possibly an excuse for me to indulge myself further in collecting . . .

I must have misread. My apologies. I thought you wanted a snack using herbs/spices of the region.

I think I may have some northern African treat recipes for you — but may not get to them until tomorrow. Is there a clock ticking?

I visited Africa....it's a hige continent and I was just in Kenya and Tanzania....but my overwhelming flavor remembrance is coffee....magnificent coffee.....and mangos. But of course perhaps that was the season.
I like the idea of basic sugar cookies with different herb and spices...

For third grade students (any elementary-aged child really), I would be sure the tea or coffee suggested is decaffeinated.

Can't wait to hear how it goes.

I pinkmountain- I think what you are creating is interesting. It's a version of a constant you see in early childhood curriculums "Bread From Around the World." Just to avoid a faux pas, please use Mexico for North America, not South America. People often assume they have the same cultures but they are different even though they share some thing. For tea in South America consider Toronjil, Guayusa and of course Yerba Mate. Hot chocolate is what is often served in the evening with a crusty bread. A wonderful cookie is Alfajores. Here is one recipe. You could use a little mint if you wanted. I look forward to seeing the results in your blog. And yes, this is a good reason to collect more tea pots.

Wow, good catch hcbm. I think people conflate So. America w Latin America.

Latin America is very wide and diverse. Most people don't realize that when they are talking about Latin America; it includes Italy, Spain and some also consider Romania part of the group. The Romanian language is Latin based and many Spanish speakers have immigrated there.

Australian cooking was heavily influenced by Britain pre-1960s, but it’s come a long way since then Australian cooking has become quite international. Spaghetti bolognese could have been considered our national dish about 30 years ago based on the number of households eating it on any given night, and I would think if surveyed these days it would be a curry of some type.

There is very little in the way of native Australian cuisine, though some are trying to get the word out. The problem is that much bush food doesn’t lend itself to large scale farming, and traditional native Australians don’t have a very elaborate cuisine. Certainly sweets would be limited to wild honey found by chance.

Pocky!!!! Japanese cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. Not weird, quintessentially Japanese, and easy to make at home. https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/homemade-pocky/

Edited to change recipes.

Great ideas. I'm open to changing my S. American idea. I'm basically looking for signature afternoon "teas" and tea snacks made with herbs/spices from some region on the continent. If vanilla isn't grown in central or south america, then it is out. I just liked it because it has a spice that we use constantly but kids might not know where it comes from . .. an orchid. Not sure if kids will like yerba mate or those other ones. Mint maybe . . . that's why I was having trouble with Australia. Not sure of an herb that is native from there or grown there . . . I'm not looking for typical foods, I'm looking for typical herbs and spices that are afternoon tea kinds of things. Like in the US, cinnamon is pretty ubiquitous even though not grown here. My home state even once had a thriving mint crop, not so much anymore.

A lot of herbs used by Europeans are native to the Mediterranean region. A lot of tea customs and spice customs are Indian or from Asia, the Middle East, N. Africa, etc., even if they are thought of as quintessentially European. The custom of afternoon "tea" is not unique to Europe, heck tea isn't even from there. So yes, wondering what might be a common afternoon repose in S. America. Probably coffee. But ironically, coffee is one of Africa's great plant contribution to the world. I'm just trying to provide an easy, kid friendly beverage and snack that has an herbal component. If cloves are all the rage in Peru (just making that up) does not matter to me that they are grown in Indonesia, if that taste is common in Peru. Like gingerbread in Europe, the ginger isn't grown there, but it is a common teatime offering. I come from a Dutch background, and since they were big spice traders, not surprising they love their spicy sweets.

And yes, of course the decaffeinated versions. No time stamp but I need to have a least three "teas" ready by next Wed. The rest of the project is ongoing. For the ultimate program, since it is based on a book, I would like to have three minimum tea and snack pairings from three regions. In that case, Mexico would be fine. It's such an agricultural powerhouse, hard to leave it out. Frankly indigenous Mexico has had a profound influence on the US.

If I was doing an "indigenous" tea for Michigan, it would be ginseng or sassafras or spicebush tea paired with maple black walnut cookies. Or mint tea paired with blueberry scones. All of that can be had year round. I had a foraging friend who once made us acorn meal bread, that was great, but I'm not going to get that complicated.

So HCBM, would those alfajores be served with coffee in the afternoon? If I'm not mistaken, hibiscus (originally from Africa) and lemon verbena are also grown in S. America although I don't know how popular they are. . . same with calendula, which is not particularly popular here in the US other than in certain herb-y circles. Not sure lemon verbena tea would go well with the alfajores . . . but probably OK with something like a vanilla flavored cookie.

So far I'm changing it up to: Europe catnip or chamomile tea, S. America lemon verbena tea, Africa hibiscus or chamomile or rooibos, and Asia green tea with ginger. That just leaves Australia . . .

in re Australia, I did a riding vacation in the outback once. Our guides carried our bed rolls and cooked for us. I recall we drank “Bush tea“ (many varieties if you google) and ate Lamingtons. Personally I think of pavlova but that won’t meet your requirement. My DS had an Aussie classmate who made fairy bread. I think that would have appeal and sure is easy.

Was at the store today, manuka honey (from NZ apparently) seemed to be a big thing in herbal teas. Yes, when I do "tea around the world" instead of the herbal teas, I've gotta do that fairy bread, at least for kids . . . Dutch people eat something similar with chocolate sprinkles.

Manuka honey comes from Australia as well. We call it Jarrah honey.

Wattle seed is a native flavouring which is used in baking.

In the afternoon most would serve hot chocolate to children. A snack in the afternoon for kids used to be fruit, or bananas with bread and cheese. Tea is often reserved to treat physical complaints or for health reasons. Though I am not an expert, families who can eat together midday, eat a larger meal and a smaller meal in the evening, such as soup and bread. However, all of this is changing as moms work outside of the home and the steady march of junk food invades the continent. This is by no means what is experienced in all of South America.

I don't know what plants are originally from South America.

Thinking of Japan, there are a lot of variations of the Kit Kat bar that might work, too. Green tea, wasabi, ube... Africa makes me think of peanuts.

tapioca is South America