The ethnic foods market now encompasses a widening range of dishes and meals fusing separate cuisines, reports Jonathan Thomas.
The appeal of ethnic foods continues to grow within Europe, with the market having expanded to such an extent that many dishes and cuisines have entered the mainstream and therefore become an established part of the diet for many of the region’s consumers.
Many people now use food as a mechanism for exploring different cuisines and cultures, attracted to the bold flavour profiles many ethnic foods offer and the constantly widening range of dishes. As consumers have become more adventurous and sophisticated in their tastes, demand has increased for ethnic dishes associated with certain regions, which can add an extra element of perceived authenticity.
From a dietary standpoint, many varieties of ethnic foods are ideally positioned to address current trends. Certain dishes, for example, do not feature meat or fish and are therefore ideally suited towards people following vegetarian or vegan diets. Additionally, many ethnic cuisines make heavy use of fresh or natural ingredients, therefore providing added health appeal and catering towards those concerned with artificial additives or ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Other factors driving penetration of ethnic foods include the growth of the food delivery market across much of Western Europe (as evidenced by the success of operators such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats) and the visual appeal of many dishes, which make them suitable for images on social media platforms. Another trend evident within the European market for ethnic foods is the growing prevalence of fusion cooking.
Much of this has been driven by the increasing consumer desire for more adventurous concepts and dishes featuring unique flavour combinations and blends of various cooking styles, especially amongst the younger age groups. Amongst the many examples have been pizzas featuring toppings sourced from Japanese, Indian or Caribbean cuisine, tacos and burritos filled with curry or sushi, Mexican-themed pasta dishes and butter chicken bao buns.
Ethnic foods continue to occupy a strong position within the European foodservice industry, especially for restaurants and takeaway foods. In the UK, a survey of 2,000 people carried out at the start of 2025 by Curry’s found that Chinese was the most popular type of takeaway food, liked by over half (51%) of respondents, ahead of pizza (44%) and fish and chips (37%).
A liking for Chinese takeaway food appears to be higher than average for both Generation X consumers and baby boomers, as it was favoured by 55% and 57% of respondents respectively, compared with 46% of millennials. Chinese was also the most popular type of takeaway food within all UK regions aside from London, where pizza came out top. The percentage of consumers partial to Chinese takeaway food was especially high in Northern Ireland (71%), Wales (65%) and Scotland (63%).
The same survey found that Indian food was the UK’s fourth most popular type of takeaway, cited by 36% of respondents. By region, a liking for Indian takeaway food was highest in parts of the UK such as Wales (47%), the West Midlands (42%) and the East Midlands (41%), although it was far less popular in Northern Ireland and the South-East. Both Indian and Chinese cuisine were well represented in the most popular forms of side dishes favoured by consumers, although chips and/or fries was the overwhelming favourite.
Other popular side dishes for takeaway foods included naan bread (23%), fried rice (13%), spring rolls (13%), prawn crackers (12%) and poppadoms (8%). These findings were also supported by separate research from Best of Britain, which surveyed the opinions of 15,000 adults in 2024. Chinese was identified as the most popular takeaway food by 26% of respondents in Great Britain, ahead of fish and chips (21%), Indian (17%) and pizza (16%). Further down the list were ethnic foods such as kebabs and sushi, mentioned by 7% and 2% of respondents respectively. Again, London was the sole region where Chinese was not the favourite takeaway, where it ranked behind pizza.
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