Famine food

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A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as drought.

Foods associated with famine need not be nutritionally deficient, or unsavory. People who eat famine food in large quantity over a long period of time may become averse to it over time. In times of relative affluence, these foods may become the targets of social stigma and rejection. For example, cultures that consider cats and dogs to be taboo foods have historically consumed them during times of famine.^{[citation needed]}

The characterization of some foodstuffs as "famine" or "poverty" food can be social. For example, lobster and other crustaceans have been considered poverty food in some societies and luxury food in others depending on the time period and situation.^{[citation needed]}