Sharwoods
CHICKEN WOW MEIN
Chinese has taken over from Indian cuisine as the nation's favourite food, it emerged yesterday (Mon).
A study found 39 per cent prefer Chinese dishes, such as sweet and sour and chow mein to Indian staples such as chicken tikka masala.
British food only came third in the list, Italian was fourth and Thai completed the top five.
Researchers also found Brits are becoming more adventurous in the home with two thirds saying they regularly cook 'exotic' food.
One in ten claim to be completely confident in their ability to cook an exotic meal without any difficulty.
And a third even reckon they are more likely to try and make their own ethnic meals at home instead of heading to the nearest restaurant.
The stats emerged in a study by Sharwood's to mark the Chinese New Year weekend.
A spokesman said: ''Traditional English dishes will always have a place in our hearts, but they will never be able to excite the tastes buds like a Chinese meal can.
''After a while, it's easy to get bored of fish and chips or roast dinners, so it's nice to enjoy something slightly more exotic.
''Chinese cuisine has a wide variety of dishes which mean there is pretty much something for everyone, even if you aren't usually that brave when it comes to trying new food.''
The study of 3,000 Brits also revealed the average Brit spends almost #20 a month on ingredients to make their own exotic dishes at home, and another #31.44 per month eating out in restaurants.
That's a total of more than #617 a year or almost #20,000 between the ages of 18 and 50.
And it's those in Belfast who have the most exotic tastes, spending #60.14 a month - #712.68 a year - on foreign food.
Londoners came second with a monthly total of #56.32, followed by those from Brighton who spend #54.58 a month on worldwide cuisine.
Manchester, Portsmouth and Leeds folk completed the top five.
But those living in Aberdeen were found to be the least keen on trying exotic food, spending just over #40 per month - less than #490 a year.
Oxford, Plymouth, Southampton and Swansea were also named among the cities most likely to stick to traditional British foods.
TOP TEN FOODS
1. Chinese
2. Indian
3. British
4. Italian
5. Thai
6. American
7. Mexican
8. Japanese
9. Greek
10. French
