Categories: Food and Drink

Brits Eat Twice As Many International Dishes Over Their Lifetime

Brits will consume a whopping 14,175 international dishes between the ages of 18 – 81 compared to just 7,812 traditional British meals, according to new research.

According to a new study it’s out with the roast beef and in with the lasagne, with Italian topping the list of the most popular dishes. We tuck away 3,276 Italian meals across a lifetime, as well as 1,701 Chinese meals and 1,890 Indian feasts. We’re also keen on American dishes, Mexixan and French dishes.

Alex Meyer from Giraffe World Kitchen said: “As a nation, we are travelling the world more than ever and experiencing more exotic and international cuisines and this is being reflected on our dinner tables and in the meals we choose when eating out.

“Italian, Chinese and American cuisines are even consumed so much in the UK, that many consider them to be British meals, with people becoming fans of food of more exotic places such as Peru, the Middle East and Africa.”

The study also found that more than three quarters put the new found love of international cuisine down to it being more readily available in supermarkets and shops, while 40 per cent think people are more willing to try new flavours and ingredients.

Other reasons include people travelling more and experiencing different foods abroad (41 per cent) and people are becoming more experimental with cooking and in the kitchen (41 per cent). 82 per cent say they are becoming more adventurous with dishes they have for dinner – both at home and when eating out.

Breakdown of meals eaten across a lifetime

Italian  3,276
Chinese  1,701
Indian  1,890
American  2,079
Mexican  819
Thai  567
French  630
Greek 567
Spanish  756
Middle Eastern  378
African  252
Japanese  378
Turkish  315
Peruvian 189
Caribbean  378

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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