Other ways of saying "...began eating?" [closed]

I could only think of "started on the food," though I'm not very sure about it (I think I have to add got to it?).

Other suggestions? (this is for a short story I'm writing).

tucked in could work, informally, but is rather British - possibly also Australian.

You could say chowed down or dug in, both also informal.

If it is an imperative, saying Eat up also suggests starting.

As noted in a comment, these are US usages.

"Dig in" is a common US slang for "begin to eat", though it is just as informal as the UK term that means the same thing - "tuck in".

"Start on the food" would be okay, though it sounds a bit awkward.