Survey shows Europe's food faves

When it comes to culinary chauvinism, Italians take the cake.

Spaniards rave over their pickled octopus and blood sausage, but Britons and Germans – who flock to Spain for holidays and retirement – can’t stand the stuff.

As for British cuisine, many Londoners pooh-pooh their own steak-and-kidney pie.

Thus reads a six-country poll released today on what Europeans like and don’t like to eat.

Those proudest of their national fare are the Italians. A robust 89% of those questioned prefer it to any other kind of cuisine, according to the survey carried out by British pollster Mori.

Spain came in second with 85%, followed by the French at 76%.

Those least enthused by their own cuisine are the Dutch. They eat stuff like “zuurkool met rookworsp”, a hodgepodge of sauerkraut with potatoes and smoked sausage.

The survey questioned about 5,500 people in Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. It was commissioned by American paper manufacturer Kimberly-Clark.

Other tidbits:

:: Italian food is preferred not only by the Italians, but by other Europeans: 42% of all those questioned in the six countries say it is their favourite, followed by Chinese food and then French cuisine.

:: 100% of those polled in Spain’s Basque country and the neighbouring wine-producing region of Rioja say Spanish food is best, but only 62% in Madrid.

:: Only 21% of Londoners prefer English fare.

:: A lowly 1% of Britons and Germans – major sources of tourists and expatriate retirees for Spain – say Spanish food is their favourite.

In the case of Britons, it’s not that they’re squeamish about Spanish dishes, such as lamb’s brain, pig testicles or squid cooked in their own jet-black ink, said Jamie Downing, an American chef who has lived in Britain and now cooks at Churchill’s, an English restaurant in Madrid.

Briton subjects eat things like jellied eels and pickled whelks, which are large marine snails, he noted.

Rather, part of Brits’ aversion to Spanish cuisine stems from their experiences with mediocre food served in low-budget Spanish tourist resorts, Downing said.

Another problem for Britons is olive oil, which is big in Spain. “It is a different kind of rich,” Downing said. ”They really can’t stomach it. Literally.”