Enjoying international cuisines makes people more tolerant, UK study finds

The study found tolerant attitudes were ‘largely explained by increased positive contact with individuals from different cultures’ and the positive associations created by eating good food. Photograph: incamerastock/Alamy

Whether it is the kedgeree of the British Raj, the Victorian “penny lick” ice-creams of Manchester’s Little Italy, or the battered fish brought to the UK by Sephardic Jews, international influences on the country’s food are longstanding, diverse and many.

Now, research has revealed that eating international food does not merely spice up the diet – but makes people more tolerant.