England may not have made it to the football World Cup final, but the nation has come out on top in the 2022 World Cup – of food.
A poll of 2,000 Brits voted for our local cuisine as the best in the world – with 39 per cent naming the traditional roast dinner as the number one meal.
England came out ahead of France, Spain, and Mexico – with football World Cup finalists Argentina falling behind in 16th place on the international cuisine list.
Other popular world recipes that ranked highly in the list included Mexican tacos (27 per cent), Spanish paella (27 per cent), and the classic French dish, coq au vin (21 per cent).
And Belgian chocolate (28 per cent) and Argentinian steak (17 per cent) also appeared among the favourite delicacies.
The “unofficial” international food tournament ranked the countries with the best cuisines, and saw the USA and Japan finish in the top 10. And this year’s tournament hosts, Qatar, also featured in the top 30.
The study was commissioned by TUI, which also created its own knockout chart to showcase the top countries in terms of food.
It was designed to mark the launch of the travel company's The World Cook TV series, which will see 16 contestants go head-to-head in six holiday destinations with country-specific challenges, to be crowned The World Cook.
It also emerged the average adult eats five international meals per week – nearly a quarter of their weekly “three meals a day”.
Toby Horry, TUI’s director of brand and content, said: “I’m sure our knockout competition of world food will trigger a lot of debate.
“And although we are an unashamed nation of roast dinner lovers, the research shows that international cuisine has become a part of our everyday lives and culture.
“Like the World Cup, The World Cook TV series brings together people with a common passion – always a winning combination.”
The study also found eight in 10 adults enjoy eating global cuisines, with 38 per cent also finding satisfaction in cooking them – because it keeps things interesting (63 per cent) and broadens their food choices (53 per cent).
More than half (56 per cent) believe eating a variety of foods from around the world has made them more “cultured”.
And 69 per cent admitted there’s nothing better than enjoying a range of international cuisines – with those cooking five from scratch each week, on average.
Of the food items made from scratch, the Tunisian dish of couscous (15 per cent), Saudi Arabia’s falafel (13 per cent), and the Swiss cheese fondue (12 per cent), were among the international choices cooked most often.
And almost a third (31 per cent) spend a “considerable” amount of time researching international dishes to make and eat.
But 36 per cent have gone as far as visiting another country to try out new dishes, with the same number keen to expand their food knowledge further.
And one in four (26 per cent) want to make their mealtimes more rewarding, according to the OnePoll data.
While over two-thirds (68 per cent) of those who eat international dishes think there’s nothing better than enjoying a range of intercontinental cuisines.
Toby Horry added: “Our new TV series draws inspiration from the teams taking part in the World Cup, and is a celebration of the vast variety of foods we enjoy around the globe.
“And, like the World Cup, viewers can expect a fast-paced, fiercely-contested tournament.
“Sixteen international chefs will cook off against each other in a series of challenges in some amazing locations, with Emma Willis and Fred Sirieix compering.”
Top 30 countries with the best international cuisine
- England
- France
- Spain
- Mexico
- USA
- Japan
- Portugal
- Morocco
- Korea
- Germany
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Wales
- Belgium
- Australia
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Denmark
- Poland
- Netherlands
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Tunisia
- Serbia
- Ghana
- Qatar
- Cameroon
- Senegal
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
