Not biscuits, but UK youngsters are preferring samosa with tea: Survey
National Samosa Week
I would like to have samosas with tea! Ever thought of listening to this from the mouth of a young Britisher? If not, don't worry; in the coming years, you might see this deep-fried Indian snack on the UK's menu. According to a recent study, samosas (fried South Asian pastry)are popular not only among Indians but also among Britons.
The Indian snack, which holds a very special place in the hearts of all the Indians out there, is slowly and steadily gaining popularity among the British youth.
The new survey conducted by the United Kingdom Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA) has found that while tea remains a staple, the choice of what to eat with it is changing.
The youth are looking for options that are more stomach-filling than just eating biscuits as tea accompaniments. Things such as granola bars and samosas with a savoury filling have emerged as the first choices of the youth.
The survey, which has beenconducted on 1, 000 people by the United Kingdom Tea & Infusions Association (UKTIA) has found that granola bars are the tea snack of choice for one in ten 18 to 29-year-olds, this was double the proportion of over 65s, per PTI.
Samosa has come out as a second choice, with some 8 per cent of youngsters choosing the deep-fried snack with their tea. However, no one over 65 age has preferred choosing Samosaas the first choice.
“I think granola bars are probably also quite filling, so maybe people are having that as a snack with their tea to fill them up,” Dr Sharon Hall, the chief executive of the UKTIA, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
“They may be looking for something a little bit more substantial. The same would apply to a samosa,” she added.
Hall also suggested that younger people are preferring different dishes because of the memories that they have with the dishes which theymay have eaten while travelling to different places.
“One thing that we are interested to find out more about is maybe such food reminds them of recent travels they have taken and a cuppa with a samosa takes them back to that memory. We know from the data that a cuppa (tea) triggers many sorts of positive emotions, and that’s something that really cuts across all age groups,” she said.
Biscuits sale at risk-
In a further study conducted by market research company Mintel interviewed2,000 tea drinkers between August and October, and found that the “future sales of sweet biscuits are at risk if the younger generation does not establish the hot drink with biscuits habit”.
“Gen Z have little time for the old rules of three formal meals per day, and TikTok has introduced them to a melting point of culinary traditions. Snacks won’t ruin the meal, they are the meal,” Jonny Forsyth, director at the group’s subsidiary Mintel Food and Drink, told the newspaper, as per PTI.
(With inputs from the agency)
