In a survey involving citizens from 24 countries, Vietnamese food performs above average when compared to 33 other major cuisines across the globe.
UK-based market research firm YouGov recently released the results of their study on food popularity, titled “Global Cuisine Survey,” and there are some interesting findings. YouGov compiled the data based on the answers of 25,000 people from 24 countries from May to December 2018.
Respondents were asked to rate 34 of the world’s most well-known cuisines, from Vietnamese to Caribbean to Indian. Responses include: “like a lot,” “like a fair amount,” “don’t like very much,” “don’t like at all,” “don’t know” and “never eaten.”
At the end, Vietnam was ranked 13th in 34 in terms of popularity worldwide, with 55% of those who have tried its food saying that they like it. Italian food came out on top with a popularity rate of 84%, followed by Chinese (78%) and Japanese (71%). On the other extreme, Peruvian and Finnish cuisines are tied for the bottom two at 32%.
Chart via YouGov.
The survey data also shows which country’s citizens are the most likely to enjoy foreign food: Filipinos and Singaporeans. Around 67% of Filipinos who have tried any type of cuisine will say that they like it. This figure is 66% for Singaporeans and 52% for Vietnamese. Japanese, on the other hand, are the least likely to appreciate foreign food with an average of just 39%. In fact, more than half the cuisines surveyed scored less than 50% among Japanese respondents.
Looking at Vietnamese cuisine, it’s understandably well-liked in Vietnam at 96%. Hongkongers, Australians and French are the top fans of Vietnamese cuisine overseas with popularity rates of 77%, 75% and 74%, respectively. However, phở and bánh mì aren’t that great to Saudi Arabians (18%), Indonesians (34%) and Italians (36%).
On average, Vietnamese are rather picky when it comes to foreign food as a whole with only 52% who have tried any cuisine in the list saying that they like it. However, some cuisines are well-loved by local foodies, such as Korean (81%), Japanese (81%) and Thai (75%), which are expected, considering their similarities to Vietnamese food. Among western dishes, Vietnam also has a penchant for Italian (72%), French (72%) and American styles (71%).
See the complete set of data here.
