Millennials are more adventurous with food than Baby Boomers—eating more foreign fare, experimenting with unusual ingredients, and even catching their own dinner—according to a new survey.
The study of 2,000 British adults found that during an average week just 36 percent of food eaten by 25-40-year-olds is traditional to their own culture.
Seven in 10 of these Millennials say they cook with rare or unknown ingredients, compared to just 7% of those aged 57-75.
One-third of younger adults said they’d been fishing and served up their catch that same evening, compared to only about one-quarter of older generations who had the same experience.
It also emerged that as many as 6 in 10 Millennials love cooking and use it as a great way to escape.
The survey was commissioned by National Geographic to launch the third season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, which aired the first episode on September 15th at 9pm.
It features Gordon Ramsay foraging for food, traveling the globe in pursuit of culinary excellence.
A spokesperson for National Geographic said, “The research has been interesting to see the varying levels of adventure when it comes to food across the generations.”
“And it’s been intriguing to see the numbers of people that would love to push to the next level and travel somewhere more remote for experiences of taste.”
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The study also found that despite those aged 25-40 being more daring in the kitchen at home, they’re not quite as adventurous when abroad.
Although millennials are more likely to deliberately travel to a country where food is exciting and new, when they get there, they’re also likely to eat in a well-known fast-food restaurant – with 37 percent saying it’s nice to have something comforting and familiar.
At home, the average respondent estimated 38 percent of the dishes they eat each week are British, with boomers consuming the most (42 percent).
Gen Zs are most likely to share their love of food with those around them, with three quarters saying they’ve been known to introduce new dishes to family members.
In fact, across all respondents polled via OnePoll, 36 percent have a recipe or way of cooking that has been passed down the generations to them—with an average of two secret ingredients.
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When asked what is considered ‘adventurous’ when it comes to food, eating local cuisine abroad, ordering something unusual off the menu they’ve never tried before, and adding something new to a dish were all mentioned. One-third believed trying a new store-bought sauce counts as being daring.
If you’re not quite as daring as others, you can get inspiration from the professionals on cooking shows such as Gordon Ramsay’s or Stanley Tucci’s Searching For Italy.
In this upcoming season, Ramsay hits the road and feasts his way through Portugal, Croatia, Mexico, Texas, Maine, Puerto Rico, Iceland and America’s Smoky Mountains, looking for global cuisines and unique culinary customs.
Tucci is traveling through the 20 regions of Italy exploring their local traditions and ingredients, with season two coming soon on CNN, after six shows from Naples, Bologna, Sicily, Tuscany, and elsewhere.
TOP 10 COUNTRIES BRITS THINK OFFER THE BEST FOOD
1. Italy
2. Britain
3. India
4. Greece
5. France
6. America
7. Spain
8. Mexico
9. Thailand
10. China
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