NATIONAL NEWS RELEASE

Wonton is Chelsea FC’s new summer signing, a falafel is a vital part of a jet engine, an enchilada is an animal found in South America - and ramen is a position in the Kama Sutra, according to a survey of the nation.

Researchers from Deliveroo polled Britons and asked them to correctly identify some of the world’s most famous foods with some surprising, bizarre and often hilarious results.

According to 15 percent of the nation, the Vietnamese noodle soup Pho is in fact a type of exotic fish, while another 10 percent thought it was the name of a character from Game of Thrones.

When it came to the Middle Eastern Favourite Falafel - a patty made of ground chickpeas - five percent thought it was the name of a Russian poet, while a mechanically minded three percent were convinced it was a vital component in a jet engine.

However, despite the culinary blunders, a staggering 86 percent of Brits said they had international tastes when it comes to food, while a further 73 percent said they would consider themselves quite or very knowledgeable about food.

The Japanese staple Ramen - a meat or fish broth - was also the subject of much confusion with 24 percent thinking it was a religious festival, while 13 percent thought it was an Egyptian Pharo - possibly confusing the name with Rameses.

A more physically inclined 4 percent believed Ramen was a position in the sexual guide book the Kama Sutra.

The study of 1500 Brits was commissioned by Deliveroo to mark their Taste Tour campaign where people can win the chance to experience their favourite dishes in the food capitals of the world.

A spokesperson for Deliveroo, said: “The results of this research show that while many Britons can’t identify a falafel or an enchilada – our love for world foods is on the rise, with 86 percent of us now enjoying international food regularly”.

"We’re launching our Taste Tours campaign to celebrate the world of food that is at our fingertips, so if you order a Mexican you could win a trip to Mexico.

"Deliveroo customers love to order foods from around the world, but we couldn’t believe just how little we actually knew about them, Taste Tours will bring Deliveroo customers to the home of their favourite dish"

The survey also revealed that 12 percent of Brits thought the Thai hot and sour soup Tom Yum Goong was a form of deadly martial art, while 11 percent thought he was up and coming snooker star from the Far East.

The survey also asked Brits to choose from a selection of options what an Enchilada might be, with 6 percent insisting it’s an animal found in the jungles of South America.

Frito Misto, the Venetian dish of lightly fried fish - was also the subject of much mis-information with 12 percent thinking it was in fact the Italian for “cold and foggy day.”

A further five percent thought it was a character from the Adventures of Tin Tin, while 4 four percent thought it was the name of a F1 racing driver.
According to the research Gumbo - the stew popular in the southern states of the US - is in fact the brother of Disney favourite Dumbo, while 3 percent thought it was the nickname of a neighbourhood in New York.

The Indian dessert of Gulab Jamun was alternately a Bollywood starlet (16 percent), a character in C.S Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (5 percent) or an evil nemesis in Dr Who (4 percent).
And we didn’t fare much better as a nation when it came to identifying the French wine Viognier.

Two in ten thought it was a French philosopher, 11 percent claimed it was a ski resort - a bit like Verbier - and 8 percent insisted it was a mountain range in the Pyrenees.

When it comes to our favourite styles of food Chinese came top with 58 percent, followed by Italian, 56 percent, Indian, 50 percent, American, 35 percent and Mexican, 34 percent.

The average Brit spends £86 a month on take-aways, with London emerging as the take away capital spending £107 a month, followed by the folk of Edinburgh who spend £92 a month, and Brummies who splash out £89.

ENDS

email harriet@gingercomms.com


* Deliveroo now offers customers the choice of 80 (81 if counting alcohol) different cuisine types, so there is something for everyone on the app.

For the next 8 weeks customers will just need to click the ‘WIN A TASTE TOUR’ button and order from a participating restaurant to be in for a chance to win a holiday to the home of their favourite Deliveroo dish. Customers just need to order a specific country’s cuisine and Deliveroo might transport them to that country.

• October 9-15. Order an Indian and win a trip to Delhi
• October 16-22 Order an Italian and win a trip to Naples
• October 23-29 Order a Vietnamese and win trip to Hanoi
• October 30-November 5 Order a Mexican and win a trip Cancun
• November 6 - 12 Order alcohol and win a trip to Bordeaux
• November 13 - 19 Order Japanese and win a trip to Osaka
• November 20-26 Order American and win a trip to New York City
• November 27-December 3 Order a Thai a win a trip to Phuket