In Judith Kerr’s bestselling picture book The Tiger Who Came to Tea, which is now one of the top theatre shows for under 5s in the UK, the tiger who arrives at Sophie’s house eats all the food on the table, all the food in the fridge, and even drinks all the water from the taps before mysteriously disappearing into the night. 

Of course, real tigers don’t really eat sandwiches, cake and biscuits, or drink tea and milk. They are obligate carnivores, which means they get the majority of their nutrition from meat and don’t need plants in their diet. Depending on where they live, tigers will typically hunt larger mammals such as pigs, deer, wild boar and bison. They have even been known to prey on rhinos and elephants. 

While tigers - unlike humans - don’t need to munch on fruit and vegetables every day to create a balanced diet, they have occasionally been observed eating some types of plant life. Here are three plants that tigers sometimes eat.

1. Grasses

Tigers will sometimes nibble on grass in their natural habitats and it’s widely believed that this aids digestion. A helping of grass can act as a natural laxative - in other words, it helps the tiger to poop. The fibrous nature of grass can also irritate the stomach lining, causing the tiger to vomit. This might sound bad, but it actually helps to bring up any clumps of fur, bones or other materials that the tiger can’t digest, soothing its tummy and making it feel more comfortable. 

2. Bamboo

Although not an essential part of their diet, tigers that live in forests where bamboo is common may occasionally chew on bamboo shoots or leaves. Like grass, bamboo is fibrous and can help tigers’ digestion. The moisture content in bamboo shoots can also provide water during dry seasons.

3. Wild Fruits

Tigers living on the Indian subcontinent have been known to eat wild fruits, particularly the fruit of the slow match tree. This large fruit has a thick skin and fleshy middle and can supplement the tiger’s vitamin and mineral intake, as well as providing fibre to help digestion.

Foliage from prey

When a tiger makes a kill it will sometimes eat the animal’s stomach and intestines, which often contain partially digested vegetation. This, like eating grass, provides fibre that helps the tiger to digest all the meat it has eaten.

Join the tiger for tea

If you’d like to join Sophie and her stripy friend for tea, The Tiger Who Came to Tea stage show is touring the UK and Ireland from February 2026. At just 55 minutes with no interval, it’s the perfect introduction to theatre for preschoolers, telling the story with songs, dance, magic and heaps of clumsy chaos. Take a look at the tour dates and book your theatre family tickets online or via your local venue.