There are all kinds of reasons to take a trip, but new research shows that three in four Americans who’ve traveled in the last five years went just for the food. A survey of 2-thousand adults finds that if they could go to any country for their cuisine alone, they’d choose Italy, France, Spain and Japan.
Part of the reason so many folks let their love of food guide them to destinations may be that 74% of respondents identify as “foodies” - those who have a particular interest in food. That’s more than those who identify as music lovers (66%), bookworms (53%), and travelers (54%).
The poll also reveals:
- Three-quarters of respondents say food doesn’t need to be fancy to be great, but six in 10 feel the presentation of food matters.
- People love a good trend and social media is the place 56% say they learn about new food trends, while 84% say they’re likely to try a new trend they saw online.
- A third of those surveyed think home-cooked meals are higher quality than those you get at a restaurant because they’re made fresh (19%), are better for their overall health (19%) and are made with better quality ingredients (17%).
- That may be why most Americans (69%) cook at home regularly, making an average of 10 meals a week, while 30% of “foodies” make at least 13 home-cooked meals a week.
- People claim to know an average of 15 recipes like the back of their hand, even if they don’t make them often.
- The top ways respondents describe their cooking style is “healthy” (34%) and “quick and speedy” (30%).
- The most common cuisines home cooks attempt to make include American (53%), Italian (43%), German (34%), Chinese (33%), Caribbean (20%) and Hawaiian (13%).
- The most popular kitchen must-haves include high-quality knives (44%), rare spices and seasonings (41%) and multi-kitchen tools (39%).
- To live out their “foodie” dreams, people would want to add a double oven (26%), espresso maker (22%) or wok (21%).
Source: SWNS Digital