It’s official. A
poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of Holiday Hypermarket (www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk),
a UK-based holiday comparison site, has found that for Britain ’s, Italy ’s
cuisine is the most popular in Europe . In a poll of over 2,000 UK residents, 30% said that Italy has the
best national cuisine. It’s most popular among the younger generation, with 42%
of respondents between the ages of 18-24 preferring Italian food to other European
cuisines. Although both men and women prefer Italian food overall, Italian food
is more popular with women than men (33% versus 27%).
The
second most popular food is British. 22% of respondents most prefer British
food, 12% prefer French food, 6% Spanish and 3% Greek. Food has become
synonymous with travel. Calum MacDonald, Marketing Manager at Holiday
Hypermarket says: “Food is an integral part of any trip abroad, and sharing
meals with your fellow travellers is often where memories are made. There are
so many fantastic foods in Europe that it can
be hard to decide where to visit, so we thought we’d make it easier and find
out which cuisines people like the best.”
Gastrotourism
is nothing new to Italy
The
results of the survey, in my opinion, don’t come as much of a surprise. But
then as an Italian food blogger and writer, I probably would say that. The real
question for me is; what is it about Italian food that makes it so
popular? Pizza and pasta are no doubt a
winning combination, one whose popularity extends well beyond Europe ’s
borders. But there’s more to Italian food than that. For me, Italian food wins
over time and time again because it’s a cuisine that’s easy to live with. We
keep things simple, we keep it seasonal and we keep it local. But more than
this, what makes Italian food stand out for me is the experience of eating. In Italy
For me, the combination of simple Italian flavours and Italian wine, enjoyed in good company = magnificent! Thanks for the post :)
ReplyDeleteItalian food is not pretentious nor is the dining experience. The food is comfortable and delicious and begs to be eaten slowly with wine and a table full of friends laughing and enjoying the company. Italian food is a social experience. How I loved the 3 hour dinners followed by the late night trip to Remy's gelateria.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Mario about the simplicity of Italian cooking making it really good. My kitchen has certainly become Italicised (if that is a word!).
ReplyDeleteI think the simplicity, freshness and locality of Italian cooking is what makes it so special. And that it's important to everyone who's sitting at the table. A glass of red wine and a beautiful language don't hurt either...
ReplyDeleteWe loved every bite of food we ate in Italy...the local specialties, the seasonal nature of the dishes, the comfort of pasta and good bread. Thank goodness we did a ton of walking to counteract all the deliciousness :)
ReplyDeleteItalian cuisine will always rate in my book. That cuisine does showcase all of the major food groups in such a delicious way, it is hard to not put it first on the list! Not only is the food amazing, I like a lot of the traditions of the culture there.
ReplyDelete