Aussies Are Adventurous With Food: New Survey

Aussies Are Adventurous With Food: New Survey
Customers are seen in the food court area of Broadway Shopping Centre in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 6, 2020. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
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Aussies are adventurous in terms of trying diverse foods, with Tasmania crowned the most adventurous region, a new survey shows.

A recent survey by global food solutions group and meal-kit delivery company HelloFresh researched into the eating habits of Australia and revealed how adventurous Australians are when it comes to their food.

In any given week, 1000 Australians across the country revealed they eat at least 2.6 different types of cuisine on average, ranging from cuisines as diverse as Chinese, Thai, and Japanese to more traditional cuisines such as Australian and Italian. The native Australian cuisine, however, still proved to be the most popular, with almost 88 percent of respondents saying they eat it once or more in a typical week.

Tasmanians are the most adventurous eaters in Australia. Hobart Central Business District, with Wrest Point Casino looming over the harbour and Mt. Wellington in the background. (Aaroncrick/Wikimedia Commons)
Tasmanians are the most adventurous eaters in Australia. Hobart Central Business District, with Wrest Point Casino looming over the harbour and Mt. Wellington in the background. Aaroncrick/Wikimedia Commons

When presented with 20 adventurous ingredients, including foods such as Kimchi, chilli chocolate, and pate, Tasmania was found to have the most adventurous eaters, with residents having tried 74 percent of the listed foods. Those in South Australia and New South Wales were the least adventurous eaters, having tried 64 percent of the adventurous foods listed.

The ingredients that have piqued the interest of the adventurous eaters of Australia are paté and black pudding, with over half (57 percent) of Australians having tried paté and a quarter (25 percent) having tried black pudding.

“Australians are adventurous eaters, and with this melting pot of flavours and cuisines, our nation has developed a sophisticated palate that is constantly looking for something new and exciting,” Hannah Gilbert, senior director of product development at HelloFresh said.

Stewed pork belly with glass noodles is the ultimate Chinese comfort food. (CiCi Li)
Stewed pork belly with glass noodles is the ultimate Chinese comfort food. CiCi Li

Gilbert introduced that HelloFresh, which was founded in Berlin in 2011 and now operates in a dozen of countries, is constantly innovating its menu to meet the local customers’ needs and expectations as they evolve.

“In 2022 alone, we introduced over 451 new recipes and 38 new ingredients, including Konjac noodles, plant-based slow braised meat, and tamarind chutney to align with the changing diets and international flavours Australians are embracing.”

“Our expert taste-testers, who are trained in the Australian palate, spend around 312 hours a year tasting meals before they go onto the menu to ensure they’re fit for adventurous Australians.”

It is noted that some figures were combined to give regional results (for instance, figures for Melbourne were combined with the wider VIC region), and some regions consisted of smaller sample sizes, including ACT, Northern Territory, and Tasmania.