Updated: May 23, 2016 10:44 AM ET | Originally published: Sep 21, 2013
American photographer Peter Menzel and writer Faith D’Aluisio have traveled the world documenting that most basic of human behaviors—what we eat. Their project, “Hungry Planet,” depicts everything that an average family consumes in a given week—and what it costs. The pair released their book "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats" in 2005, showcasing meals in 24 countries.
The Ayme family of Tingo, Ecuador, was pictured with a haul of vegetables. The Natomo family of Kouakourou, in south-central Mali, sat for a portrait on the roof of their home with sacks of grains. And among the favorite foods listed by the Madsen family of Greenland was polar bear and the skin of a narwhal, or a medium-sized toothed whale.
In 2013 and 2014, their “Hungry Planet” portraits were exhibited by the Nobel Peace Center to give viewers a peek into kitchens from Norway to Kuwait and China to Mexico, and to raise awareness about how environments and cultures influence the cost and calories of the world’s dinners.
