Food

"To restore a teammate's stamina, pick up a healing item and feed it to your teammate."

- Sharing healing items

Food is any number of items Kirby can eat to provide various effects. There are various different food items seen throughout the series. Food can often be found on the ground, in Chests, by defeating enemies, or by utilizing the Copy Abilities Cook, Refrigerator, Artist, and Magic.

Food Effects
Most food items are used to heal Kirby. Most of these healthy snacks resemble real-world foods and restore a little bit of Kirby's health. The amount of health restored can vary depending on the game and type of food, i.e. meat restores three health bars in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. The Maxim Tomato restores Kirby's entire health bar and resembles a tomato with an "M" on it. Regular tomatoes appear in Kirby Super Star as one of the basic food items. The Reviving Tomato introduced in Kirby: Triple Deluxe completely heals Kirby when used, and can even revive him if his health bar depletes fully.

There are special food items, that although do not heal Kirby, serve as power-ups:
 * The Invincibility Candy is a special kind of candy that grants Kirby temporary invincibility to plow through enemies with. It can't protect Kirby from falls, however.
 * The Jumbo Candy, like the Invincibility Candy, makes Kirby invincible, but enlarges him as well. It also gives him the ability to demolish anything in his path including metal blocks and enemies that usually cannot be defeated. (Kirby Mass Attack only)
 * Superspicy Curry grants Kirby the temporary ability to spit fireballs. (Kirby's Dream Land only)
 * An item called the Mint Leaf temporarily improves Kirby's ability to spit air puffs. A special version of the Mint Leaf is used to fight Kaboola. (Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby: Triple Deluxe’s Kirby Fighters sub-game)

In some non-platformers, food serves another purpose:
 * Kirby's health is represented by tomatoes in Kirby's Dream Course. Tomatoes are gained by hitting small enemies.
 * Food speeds up Kirby's cart in the sub-game Cart Run.
 * In all other non-platformers, collecting food adds to the total score.

Important Instances
Kirby: Squeak Squad’s plot centers around Kirby's Strawberry Shortcake, which is stolen by the Squeaks, causing Kirby to set out to get it back. The chest with his cake eventually finds its way into Meta Knight's hands. When Meta Knight is defeated, Daroach steals the chest and opens it thinking it still contains the shortcake. However, instead of the cake, Dark Nebula is released and takes possession of Daroach, who is turned into Dark Daroach. After beating him and Dark Nebula, the Squeak Squad gives back the shortcake to Kirby as an apology for the trouble they caused.

The sub-game Gourmet Race in Kirby Super Star and its remake, as well as its "sequel," Cart Run in Kirby: Canvas Curse, is all about Kirby racing against King Dedede to see who can collect (or more likely eat) more food in the shortest time.

Kirby Mass Attack is another game in which food plays an important role. If the Kirbys defeat an enemy or destroy a block, they will get fruit, which will increase the fruit meter. The more fruit obtained, the higher the meter will be, which will give the player a higher chance of gaining ten Kirbys.

Kirby Super Star/Kirby Super Star Ultra
* Only appears in the Japanese version

** Only appears in international versions

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble
* Only appears in the Japanese version

** Only appears in international versions

Kirby Air Ride
* Only appears in the Japanese version

** Only appears in international versions

Kirby's Return to Dream Land

 * Bananas
 * Candy
 * Cherry
 * Chinese Noodles/Ramen
 * Chocolate Cake
 * Cupcake
 * Curry
 * Doughnut
 * French Fries
 * Fried Rice
 * Grapes
 * Gyoza
 * Hamburger
 * Hotcake
 * Hotdog
 * Ice Cream
 * Juice
 * Lemon Juice/Orange Juice
 * Maxim Tomato
 * Meat
 * Milk
 * Nikuman
 * Omelette
 * Parfait
 * Pineapple
 * Pink Doughnut
 * Pink Soft Cream
 * Pizza
 * Pudding
 * Sandwich
 * Sausage
 * Shortcake
 * Soft Cream
 * Spaghetti
 * Tea
 * Tomato

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

 * Banana
 * Meat
 * Pineapple
 * Pep Brew
 * Cherry
 * Carrot
 * Maxim Tomato
 * Reviving Tomato
 * Strawberry Shortcake
 * Hamburger
 * Chocolate Donut
 * Cupcake
 * Pudding
 * Soft Cream
 * Orange Juice
 * Chocolate Bar
 * Omlette
 * Sandwich
 * Watermelon
 * Acorn Squash
 * Pizza
 * Bread

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

 * Pea
 * Milk
 * Soft Cream
 * Pizza
 * Hot Dog
 * Cherry
 * Grape
 * Maxim Tomato

Kirby: Planet Robobot

 * Cherry
 * Hamburger
 * Hotcake
 * Hotdog
 * Meat
 * Soda
 * Soft Cream

Kirby Star Allies

 * Acorn Squash
 * Bananas
 * Bell Pepper
 * Bread
 * Carrot
 * Cherries
 * Coffee
 * Corn
 * Eggs
 * Hamburger
 * Hotdog
 * Macaron
 * Maxim Tomato
 * Meat
 * Melon
 * Melon Soda Float
 * Milk Bottle
 * Milk Carton
 * Omelette
 * Orange
 * Pep Brew
 * Pink Doughnut
 * Popsicle
 * Pudding
 * Shortcake
 * Soft Cream
 * Sushi
 * Takoyaki
 * Tomato
 * Watermelon

Food items obtained from Friends
When using Cook's Cook Potluck/Supper Party Friend Ability, certain food items correspond to a Copy Ability and that ability's Friend. This is also true for Dream Friends and when Kirby does not have an ability.

Trivia

 * Some food items in Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra are exclusive to the Japanese version, and are replaced by other foods in the international releases. The picture to the right shows the foods in the Japanese version on the top row and the corresponding foods in the international versions are in the bottom row.
 * According to Daroach, the bananas that grow in Volcano Valley are the sweetest in the universe. The Oohroo from Green Grounds become advanced technologically and build a spaceship in order to obtain them.
 * Food has been used frequently as a naming convention in the series since Kirby's Adventure. Despite this, it was not until 17 years later that Kirby visited a location made entirely of food: Sweets Park in Kirby's Epic Yarn.
 * In Kirby Star Allies, when Hyness and the Jambastion mages are freed in Void Termina's second phase, they will drop food. Francisca will drop a melon soda float, Flamberge will drop a hotdog, Zan Partizanne will drop a pudding, and Hyness will drop a milk bottle.

Sprites and Models
Nourriture Cibo 食べ物 食物