Adventurous Brits are tucking into wide variety of different cuisines – including from Lebanon, Ethiopia & Peru
BRITS are getting stuck into different world cuisines – with seven in 10 having tried dishes from countries such as Lebanon, Ethiopia, and Peru in the past 12 months.
A poll of 2,000 adults found 16 per cent have experimented with up to six or more cuisines they'd never even sampled before in the past year.
It also emerged 45 per cent have been inclined to try new dishes after seeing interesting sauces, oils, marinades, and condiments in supermarkets.
The ever-increasing variety of cuisine on take-away apps has also had a knock-on effect, with 45 per cent revealing they’ve become more experimental when cooking at home as a result.
The study by speciality cooking brand U:ME, manufacturer of oils and ‘Spice Shots’ for use when making international dishes at home, found Italian and Chinese are the most popular cuisines.
However, with dishes from the likes of Japan (28 per cent), Lebanon (15 per cent), and the USA (47 per cent) having been tried during the past 12 months, a new number one could be on the horizon.
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Ria Joyce, head of brand at U:ME, said: "Our taste in food has never been more eclectic.
“A popular phrase right now is that the world is getting smaller, and that’s equally true when it comes to our taste in food.
“You can find cuisine from all over the world in your local supermarkets, and even more specialist stuff in smaller shops, especially in bigger cities.”
Other exotic cuisines British adults have tried include Turkish (32 per cent), Korean (19 per cent) and South African (14 per cent).
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One in 10 (10 per cent) have even tucked into a Nepalese dish, while seven per cent have enjoyed cuisine native to the Philippines.
As a result, 33 per cent wish supermarkets stocked even more foodstuffs, condiments, oils, spices, and other ingredients from international cuisines than they currently do.
This has proven to be especially frustrating for the 21 per cent who often struggle to find ingredients they need for international dishes in UK shops.
While 44 per cent have fared slightly better having had this happen only once or twice.
And some have really felt the pressure to source particular ingredients - 46 per cent said family members have ‘begged them’ to recreate meals enjoyed during far-flung holidays.
Brits' top 30 international cuisines
1. Italian
2. Chinese
3. Indian
4. Mexican
5. Spanish
6. USA
7. French
8. Greek
9. Thai
10. Japanese
11. Turkish
12. Moroccan
13. Korean
14. German
15. West Indian
16. Swedish
17. South African
18. Lebanese
19. Portuguese
20. Vietnamese
21. Belgian
22. Pakistani
23. Australian
24. Brazilian
25. Pan-African
26. Nepalese
27. Russian
28. Filipino
29. Peruvian
30. Ethiopian
But of the parents who took the poll, 50 per cent have slogged away at an exotic dish – only for their kids to turn their noses up at it.
Ria Joyce added: “You don’t need to spend a whole afternoon working away at an adventurous dish in order to ensure it goes down a treat.
"There are simple ways even the most mundane dishes can be given a new lease of life with the addition of a couple of teaspoons of a marinade."
The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found 51 per cent of adults are passionate about expanding their food horizons, and 53 per cent would go as far as describing themselves as a ‘foodie’.
In fact, six per cent even claim their home-cooking is on a par with a professional chef, while 16 per cent rate themselves as a ‘talented amateur’.
Ria Joyce said: “Everyone’s tastebuds mature at a different rate, so it’s not a surprise some kids might find more exotic cuisines sometimes harder to stomach.
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“However, getting kids excited about flavours and foods from around the world from a young age can really spark their curiosity.
“This can mean as they get older, they have a great relationship with different textures, flavours, spice levels and more."