The survey, which questioned more than 27,000 travellers, shows there is now tough competition for more traditional favourites such as Italian and French cuisine from food from the Far East.
Although 32 per cent of the international travellers who responded to the survey favour Italian cuisine and 24 per cent prefer French cuisine, dishes from ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’ are gaining in popularity with more cosmopolitan palates. Eighteen per cent of all people surveyed favoured sushi, tempura, ramen and Japanese Soba, particularly when it comes to fine dining.
“Japanese food is seen as great example of healthy eating and there are a variety of Japanese restaurants in every multicultural capital,” said Alison Couper from Hotels.com. “I’m a big fan of Japanese and not surprised at its elevated ranking. The fact that it beat more traditional holiday dishes such as tapas and burritos is testament to the world class reputation of Japanese chefs.”
Several other Asian countries and regions appear in the Top Ten list, including Mainland China (13 per cent), Thailand (8 per cent), Taiwan and India (5 per cent each). The popularity of paella and tapas could have contributed to Spain, clinching fifth place (11 per cent) on the list, while those who love burgers and fries have helped the USA secure sixth place (10 per cent) in the table. Mexico completes the top ten, having secured eight per cent of the votes.
Beyond sushi
Sushi, of course tops the charts with about 74 per cent of Japanese locals recommending it, but according to them there is much more on the menu than the dish that combines cooked vinegared rice (called shari) and other ingredients such as seafood (which are called neta), and these traditional cuisines are creeping up the popularity scales with the global traveller.
Tempura [a Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavoured with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings] is second, with 57 per cent; and Ramen, a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, takes third place with 33 per cent of Japanese recommending it.
Thirty-one per cent of Japanese recommended Japanese soba, a savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients, such as flour, eggs, cabbage, pork, shrimp or seafood. Okonomiyaki, a Japanese version of hot pot with thinly-sliced meat and vegetables and usually served with dipping sauces, accounted for about 27 per cent of the local recommendations.
Dipping sauces, locally known as Shabu Shabu (24 per cent); Japanese vegetable or meat curry served with rice (14 per cent); Yakiniku, a grilled meat dish of Korean origin (nine per cent); Natto, fermented soybeans with Bacillus Subtilis, which is popular as a breakfast item (seven per cent), and Fugu, pufferfish and related dishes (six per cent) round off the top ten local recommendations.
