Frequent and varied eating found to reduce likelihood of perceiving immigrants as ‘cultural or economic threats’
Whether it is the kedgeree of the British Raj, the Victorian “penny lick” ice-creams of Manchester’s Little Italy, or the battered fish brought to the UK by Sephardic Jews, international influences on the country’s food are longstanding, diverse and many.
Now, research has revealed that eating international food does not merely spice up the diet – but makes people more tolerant.
Research from the University of Birmingham and the University of Munich has found that frequently enjoying a greater number of international foods reduced the likelihood of perceiving immigrants as “cultural or economic threats” by a tenth.
The study focused on more than 1,000 white British adults, measuring attitudes towards immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, Asia and the rest of Europe; people’s likelihood of voting for politicians who would cut immigration and apply stricter rules to settlement and access to public funds; their enjoyment of six cuisines – Indian, Turkish, Chinese, Thai, Caribbean, and Spanish – and how often they ate them.
