Abstract
This study attempts to ascertain students 'level of knowledge of food names. The subjects were 121 male and 119 female students, attending a compulsory home economics lecture required for elementary school teaching certification. They were presented 29 foods to be named, including vegetables, pulses, seaweed, meats, poultry and fishes. All students answered accurately for daikon radish, onion and squid. However, students who could answer general fish names such as sardine (iwashi), horse mackerel (aji) and mackerel (saba) were 55 to 66% ; fewer than those who correctly identified plant foods. This result indicates that there are students who do not know generic food names in elementary and junior high school. Students need to be educated as to the proper names of food items.
