Modern British kids have eaten curry by the age of five, mussels by the age of six – and sushi by the age of seven, according to a new poll.
New research of UK parents has revealed a list of foods school children eat today, which their parents had never even HEARD of when they were young.
The study revealed a generational shift in what today’s children will eat, with the average youngster trying things their parents didn’t try until they were well into adulthood – such as chillies, squid, Pad Thai and edamame beans.
According to the poll, one in ten children under ten have tried an oyster – with hummus, bao buns from China, Japanese katsu curry and Mexican quesadillas among a list of world foods parents never tried as a youngster, but that their children regularly enjoy.
Of the 1,500 parents who took part in the study by Giraffe World Kitchen, a third said their children were adventurous when it came to their culinary tastes and half said ‘they will try most things.’
In fact, 41 percent said their children will happily try foods that they wouldn’t be overly keen to try themselves.
Unsurprisingly, 27 percent said their kids can competently use chopsticks, and one in five mums and dads said there was competition in their social group over whose children were the most adventurous with food.
So much so that more than four in ten of the parents surveyed said they love posting pictures of the fancy food that their kids have tried on social media.
The poll found one in five British kids has tried paella and tapas when holidaying in Spain and a refined one in twenty have sampled the likes of escargot and frog’s legs in France.
A spokesperson for Giraffe World Kitchen who commissioned the poll said: “Kids today have such a great choice of world foods at their fingertips, it’s not a huge surprise to hear that they are so much more adventurous than their parents ever were at the same age.
“With parents set to take their children out for 12 meals over the summer holidays and seven in ten parents saying they have concerns over how much money they’d spend on eating out, we understand keeping the kids happy with exciting and varied meals from around the world isn’t always cheap, which is why we are offering our kids eat FREE deal throughout the summer holidays”
Age kids tried…
Sushi - 7
Sashimi - 6
Curry - 5
Olives - 5
Hummus - 5
Edamame beans - 5
Bao buns - 5
Vietnamese PHO - 6
Thai green curry - 6
Pad Thai - 6
Escargot - 7
Frogs legs - 7
Steak Tartare - 7
Squid/Calamari - 6
Crayfish - 5
Oysters - 7
Mussels - 6
Chillies - 6
Churros - 5
Katsu Curry - 6
Gyozas - 5
Tacos - 6
Enchiladas - 6
Tagine - 5
Halloumi - 5
Feta - 5
Mozzarella - 4
Soufflé - 6
Quinoa - 6
Saffron - 5
Quesadillas - 5
Chorizo - 5
Age their parents tried…
Sushi - 22
Sashimi - 21
Curry - 15
Olives - 18
Hummus - 20
Edamame beans - 24
Bao buns - 18
Vietnamese PHO - 21
Thai green curry - 22
Pad Thai - 22
Escargot - 19
Frogs legs - 18
Steak Tartare - 20
Squid/Calamari - 19
Crayfish - 19
Oysters - 21
Mussels - 18
Chillies - 17
Churros - 22
Katsu Curry - 24
Gyozas - 21
Tacos - 20
Enchiladas - 21
Tagine - 23
Halloumi - 22
Feta - 19
Mozzarella - 15
Soufflé - 18
Quinoa - 26
Saffron - 19
Quesadillas - 22
Chorizo - 20
*Research was conducted online via Ginger Research in July 2017*
For more info email harriet@gingercomms.com