Hold the pasta, nachos

Indians prefer to stick to dal makhni, roti and kadhai chicken and are not adventurous when it comes to trying food from other countries, says survey

According to a survey, though India is known for its varied and extensive cuisine, it seems that Indians prefer to take a backseat when it comes to experimenting with international fare.



Over 4,000 travellers worldwide were polled and among other interesting facts, the survey revealed that India is placed last on the list of 18 countries when it comes experimenting with different cuisines.

Also, eight out of 10 Indians look for an Indian restaurant while on an international trip and many of them choose to stay in hotels, which serve Indian food or have an Indian restaurant nearby.

Speaking to MiD DAY, Abhiram Chowdhry, Marketing Director, Asia Pacific, Hotels.com said, "Indian cuisine is favoured by tourists across the world and is the fifth most liked by international travellers.

However, Indians themselves don't seem to be too keen to try out local cuisine in other parts of the world since they have very peculiar tastes when it comes to food.

While many are vegetarians, others like their meats cooked Indian style."

The survey revealed that Australians, Brits, Dutch and New Zealanders love Indian cuisine as do our own countrymen.

Apart from Indians who enjoy dal makhni and rotis, Aussie travellers rated Indian food among the tastiest cuisines.

However, although 'Chicken tikka masala' is popular among the British, they also seem to like Italian more than Indian food.

Chowdhry, added that in comparison to Aussies and Kiwis who are quite adventurous and love to try out local food while travelling, Indians tend to be totally the opposite.

Most Indians grow up on heavily spiced food and many don't enjoy the subtler flavours of international dishes, and hence look for Indian restaurants even if they are abroad.

Parathas, spicy food and tandoori dishes also ranked as the food Indians miss most when travelling (43 per cent), followed by masala chai (26 per cent)," he said.

Gujaratis travel the most
Pradip Lulla, vice-president Travel Agents Federation u00a0u00a0of India (TAFI), and owner of Cupid Travel and Tours, echoed Chowdhry's sentiments. "It is true that Indians are rigid when it comes to food. We sell packages, in which we provide a cook for leisure trips. Among Indian travellers, Gujaratis prefer leisure travel and being vegetarians and overly culture oriented, they make sure that they take their 'Maharaj' along. Also, Indians generally can't stay away from Indian food for too long. Though youngsters seem to have adapted to international cuisine, older Indians do not like to compromise on taste."

Chinese the 2nd preferred dish
The survey also revealed that besides Indian food, Chinese food is the second preference for Indians. "It is true that Chinese food is hugely popular across the world and continues to find new fans with every passing day. However, the caveat to Indians liking Chinese food is this: what most of us know as Chinese food is an "Indianised" version of the actual cuisine and hence has the ability to entice our taste buds. Testimony of our liking for Indian Chinese is the numerous Chinese restaurants across India. This type of cuisine has also become a stable street food across India. In fact, as an insider's tip for tourists yearning for Indian style Chinese food, there and little known Indian-Chinese restaurants that have sprung up across the world in destinations as varied as Singapore and New York. So Indians can find a way to satisfy their taste buds wherever they travel," explained Chowdhry.