Which cuisine is Australia’s favourite?

Despite the ever-increasing diveristy in Australian cuisine – due in no small part to the popularity of cooking programs and an influx of alternative cultures to our shores – it appears we like to stick to good ol’ favourites in the kitchen and dining out.

More than seven out of 10 Australians (aged 14 or over) say they like Chinese food, making it the most popular cuisine in the country.

Although this figure has fallen since 2011, it maintains a convincing lead over other international fare… for now.

While our love for fried rice and dim sum has slipped slightly, the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal a growing number of us are enjoying cuisines from other countries.

In second place, Italian food is now enjoyed by 62.9% of the population, marginally up on 60.8% in 2011.

In third and fourth places, Thai and Indian cuisine also gained in popularity over the last five years, while Mexican (#05) and Japanese (06) also appear on the up and up.

Rounding out the top 10 are: Greek (07), other Asian (08), Lebanese (09) and French (10). “Other Asian” includes dishes from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Korea.

While the figures above show which international cuisines are most enjoyed by the overall population, some striking variations are revealed when different generations are studied. Chinese tops the list for all gens, but beyond that, the culinary landscape changes.

For example, Gen X is over-represented among Australians who like Italian, Greek, Thai and Lebanese. Gen Y, in contrast, are the group most likely to enjoy eating Japanese, other Asian, Indian, Mexican and French food – which works well with the fact it is also the generation most likely to be seen out at cafes and restaurants, or ordering home-delivered food.  Antonino Tati