We really don’t like to pick favorites — we love all cuisines equally. But if you really poke and prod, we’ll give in. We, along with everyone else in the world, according to a survey conducted by YouGov, believe Italian reigns supreme. Being the cuisine that brought us pizza and pasta, how could it not be?
YouGov surveyed over 25,000 people from 24 global locations, asking them which out of 34 different national cuisines was their favorite. 84% of all surveyed ranked Italian food as their all-time fave, and honestly, we can’t blame them.
To break it down even more, 88% of Americans, 90% of Filipinos, and 85% of Japanese participants put Italian fist. Even 99% of Italians ranked their cuisine at the top.
With food and recipes as good as theirs, Italians are definitely allowed to toot their own horn.
Chinese and Japanese cuisines ranked second and third on everyone’s favorites list, with Thai, French, and Spanish following suit.
American cuisine came in 7th, just before Mexican, which took the 8th spot.
Not everyone loves Italian food, though. YouGov found that only 59% of Chinese participants put Italian in the number one slot. Thai participants were a bit more supportive, with 69% stating Italian is their favorite.
Fair enough — we certainly wouldn’t expect a clean sweep.
international YouGov study of more than 25,000 people in 24 countries finds that pizza and pasta are among the most popular foods in the world, as Italian cuisine beats all comers https://t.co/6elJQlnhYT pic.twitter.com/3ycwsjeTwG
— David Schmitt (@PsychoSchmitt) March 12, 2019
Some of the least popular cuisines, either chosen by participants’ dislike or lack of experience eating, were Saudi Arabian, Finnish, and Peruvian.
Peruvian cuisine scored the lowest, with only 32% on the popularity scale — however, it should be noted that Peruvians were not included in the survey.
Well at least the Finns like it.
— Captain Person (@captainperson) March 12, 2019
YouGov states that the survey also proved that the Japanese are the most critical of other cuisines.
Of the 34 cuisines on the survey, 23 scored less than 50% among the Japanese participants.
We respect their high standards.
Of course, because it is the best food. 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
— Mom 0U812 oh, you ate one too? (@Mom0U812) March 13, 2019
Although we can all agree that Italian food rocks, Twitter has thoughts on the overall ranking.
If it were up to some, the numbers would look very different.
British cuisine being more popular that Filipino cuisine is a curse.
— Mister FanTasty 🍉🍉🍉 (@MisterFantasty) March 12, 2019
Sorry, Brits. You’re being attacked.
Having the British cuisine so high discredits the survey.
— Bruninho (@brunogbcn) March 12, 2019
We suppose if you crunch the numbers… the results would look a bit different.
Since this doesn’t appear to be weighted by population, looks like the most popular cuisine is actually Chinese given its high scores in China, US and Japan.
— Charles Forelle (@charlesforelle) March 12, 2019
It’s a big deal in Peru, too. But with no Peruvian participants, it seems unfair to put it so low.
Huh. Peruvian is a pretty big deal here in Chicago.
— Jethro Dull (@Wright_ap) March 12, 2019
But others are perfectly fine with Italian at the top. TBH, we are, too.
Of course, because it is the best food. 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
— Mom 0U812 oh, you ate one too? (@Mom0U812) March 13, 2019
Pasta is our heart and soul. It’s the wind beneath our wings.
It’s our pride, our joy. Pasta is… everything.
We’ve watched all the episodes of YouTube’s Pasta Grannies.
We’ve seen the love and care that goes into each noodle.
[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HesHan-wu0k"]And we certainly don’t discriminate against different sauces. Bring ’em all on.
Okay, okay — pizza is pretty good, too. We’ll admit.
As are Italian cheeses… mozzarella… ricotta…
And gelato. Let’s not forget about gelato.
We understand that everyone wants their own country to have the best food.
But we can’t deny that Italy knows what’s up when it comes to tantalizing our taste buds.
