Ape mashed food (3)
I believe the answer is:
pea
'food' is the definition.
(pea is a kind of food)
'ape mashed' is the wordplay.
'mashed' indicates an anagram.
'ape' with letters rearranged gives 'PEA'.
(Other definitions for pea that I've seen before include "Ape this plant badly" , "veg" , "Leguminous seed" , "It grows in 23 Down" , "Climber" .)