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Asda: a further 35% of UK customers claim they prefer eating international foods over classic British meals

Brits travel the world with their taste buds every day, eating 6 international dishes – Fajitas knock curry off the top spot as the nation’s favourite international meal – Sales of international foods have increased 40% in the last 12 weeks at one leading retailer

LEEDS, England, 2017-Aug-08 — /EPR Retail News/ — On average, Brits are eating food from 6 different countries every day, but we’re not talking margherita pizza and chicken tikka masala – our culinary globetrotting is resulting in a demand for the most authentic flavours and ingredients on our dinner plates.

From Greek yogurt for breakfast, to sushi at lunch and paella dinner, many of our mealtime staples now originate from foreign shores, with 35% of Brits claiming they have more adventurous palates now than ever before.

According to the research from Asda*, a further 35% of UK customers claim they now prefer eating international foods over classic British meals, with dishes such as fajitas and moussaka overtaking fish and chips and steak pie when it comes to what we want for dinner. The same applies on our lunch breaks, gone are the days of a ham and cheddar sandwich, we now visit up to 11 different countries in the middle of the day, with bread from Italy and France, chorizo from Spain, burritos from Mexico, miso soup from Japan and gourmet burgers from America.

The passion for international cuisine is constantly evolving, and Brits say their inspiration comes from many sources – the extensive range of dishes available in supermarkets which encourages them to try new flavours (35%), global travel (20%), cookery programmes (16%) a desire to feel more cultured (10%) and social media (6%).

Asda recognises this culinary shift and increasingly gives customers the opportunity to enjoy authentic Global cuisine from the comfort of their own homes. Asda’s innovation team travel the world, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the vast spice markets of Asia and the traditional villages of Mexico and Cuba to introduce new and exciting international dishes, using authentic ingredients to tantalise well-travelled taste buds. As a result, the last 12 weeks alone have seen Asda shoppers buying 40% more international foods.

In terms of dishes, we’re going mad for Mexican, as fajitas top the tables as Brits’ favourite (32%), taking over from curry, the UK’s national dish 10 years ago**. Fueling the Mexican fiesta, searches of Mexican food on Google have increased by 225% in the last 5 years.

Mark Richmond, Head Innovation Chef at Asda, said “Our appetite for international foods continues to grow and we’re broadening our palates far beyond classic tikka masala or chicken chow mein. Our taste buds are likely to travel even further in 2018 with a rise in popularity of foods from the Middle East, the Pacific and Regional Italy as well as deeper exploration of Asian Fusion’.

We travel the world to bring our customers the most authentic flavours from all corners of the globe – direct to the aisles. There are so many flavours of the world to experiment with, we say go for it!”

Mark Richmond’s Global Flavours Trend Predictions
Middle Eastern Inspiration – Driven by our quest for fresh ingredients and healthy food,expect to see a rise in skewers, sharing small plates, dips and pickles, BBQ meats, a variety of grilled breads, topped pide and levantine as well as authentic spices such as zhoug, harissa, zaatar, dukkah and chemoula.
A Trip Across the Pacific – We will see a rise in popularity of authentic Mexican, Cuban and Hawaiian dishes including tacos, pulled meats, empanadas, Latino chills, pickles, marinated fish and seafood, ceviche and poke bowls.
Regional Italian Resurgence – Fresh and tradition flavours and ingredients of regional Italy are predicted to experience a real movement, such as octopus, rabbit, slow roasted pork, burrata, handmade pasta, truffle, fresh beans and Umbrian lentils. We’ll also see more traditional cooking techniques coming to the fore, including charring, smoking, curing and slow fermenting.
Asian Fusion Explosion – We are eagerly anticipating even more innovative combinations of Asian dishes. Bao buns, baozi, robata, kimchi, BBQ grilled meats and lots of Korean flavours are expected to gain momentum.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 20 PLATES: BRITS’ TOP 20 INTERNATIONAL DISHES:
1. Fajitas

2. Paella

3. Peking duck

4. Moussaka

5. Mozzarella salad

6. Tacos

7. Jerk chicken

8. Sushi

9. Chinese dumplings

10. Beef short rib

11. Pad Thai

12. Stuffed vine leaves

13. Tuna niçoise salad

14. Chicken katsu

15. Massaman curry

16. Dahl

17. Ramen

18. Miso soup

19. Souvlaki

20. Empanadas

Source: ASDA

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