Japanese Food on the Tip of the World's Tongue

27,000 travellers from around the world voted Japanese as 3^rd best cuisine when on holiday

LONDON, July 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Japanese food could one day rule the world after being voted global travellers' third favourite culinary delight, a new worldwide food survey from Hotels.com reveals. 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.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/540164)

Although international travellers do still favour Italian (32%) and French (24%) cuisine, with them taking first and second spot in the rankings, the dishes from the 'Land of the Rising Sun' Japan are gaining in popularity with more cosmopolitan palates. Eighteen percent 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 appear in the Top Ten list, including China (13%), Thailand (8%), Taiwan and India (5%). The popularity of Paella and Tapas could have contributed to Spain clinching fifth place (11%) on the list, while those who love Burger and Fries have helped the USA secure sixth place (10%) in the table.

The world's best food when on holiday

Position	Country	Votes in %
1	Italy	32%
2	France	24%
3	Japan	18%
4	China	13%
5	Spain	11%
6	USA	10%
7	Mexico	8%
8	Thailand	8%
9	Taiwan	5%
10	India	5%

According to Japanese locals there is much more on the menu than just Sushi and these traditional cuisines are creeping up the popularity scales with the global traveller:

Position	Dish	Description	Japanese recommendations in %
1	Sushi	Cooked vinegared rice (shari) combined with other ingredients (neta) such as seafood	74%
2	Tempura	Dish of seafood [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafood] or vegetables that have been battered [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batter_(cooking)] and deep fried [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_frying]	57%
3	Ramen	Chinese-style wheat noodles [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_noodles] served in a meat- or (occasionally) fish-based broth [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broth], often flavored with soy sauce [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce] or miso [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso], and uses toppings [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topping]	33%
4	Japanese soba	A type of thin noodle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodle] made from buckwheat flour [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour]	31%
5	Okonomiyaki	Savoury pancake [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake] containing a variety of ingredients, such as flour, eggs, cabbage, pork, shrimp or seafood	27%
6	Shabu Shabu	Variant of hot pot [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_pot] with thinly sliced meat and vegetables and usually served with dipping sauces	24%
7	Japanese Curry	The most popular dishes [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cuisine] in Japan [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan], curry rice served with vegetables or meat	14%
8	Yakiniku	Grilled meat dish, derived from Korean roots	9%
9	Natto	Fermented [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(food)] soybeans [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean] with Bacillus Subtilis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_subtilis], which is very popular as breakfast	7%
10	Fugu	Pufferfish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraodontidae] and related dishes	6%

Itadakimasu!

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com is a leading online accommodation booking website with almost 150,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favourites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers, and offers frequent sales, special deals and promotions. Regular customer e-newsletters provide exclusive offers and advance warning of up-coming sales. There are more than 6.5 million reviews on the site from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers can make an informed choice when booking. Through its industry-leading loyalty program Welcome Rewards, customers can earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed at more than 65,000 hotels. Under its Price Match Guarantee, if a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will refund the difference.

Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded at http://www.hotels.com/deals/mobile enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. For the last eight years, Hotels.com has published an award-winning twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index which is now produced in 31 individual country editions. Follow Hotels.com on Facebook at facebook.com/hotelsdotcomuk, on Twitter at @HotelsdotcomUK and download the mobile app at http://www.hotels.com/deals/mobile. Hotels.com is part of Expedia Inc., the largest online travel company in the world with an extensive portfolio that includes some of the world's best-known brands.

 

 

SOURCE: Hotels.com

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