Australians are moving away from traditional roast for the holidays, says research
While almost nine out of 10 Aussies celebrate Christmas, they are shunning the traditional roast in favour of other offerings, according to research done by Sushi Sushi.
The reasons for the shift are changes in household situations such as step-families, more Australians living away from their immediate family, and an increasing social reliance on the “urban family”, General Manager of Marketing Gavan Meadows said.
“We have seen a massive increase in people ordering deluxe sushi platters for Christmas dinner over the past few years and it’s growing every year. The feedback we’re getting from customers about their choice of menu is varied but it’s often driven by their circumstances,” he said.
“They tell us they’re getting together with friends this year and nobody in the house knows how to cook a roast and mum lives interstate so turkey is off the menu! But often it’s just that they want to do something light and simple where they don’t have to cook and clean up afterwards.”
Meadows said Australia’s colonial heritage meant that our connection to a traditional roast dinner is strong but our hot climate makes it impractical.
“Increasingly people are saying they just don’t want to be weighed down by heavy food and then lie around in the blazing heat. We just don’t have the right weather for a full hot meal with all the trimmings,” he said.
“This reflects industry data from both Austrade and IbisWorld showing that Aussies are becoming increasingly health conscious about what they eat.
“Australia is also home to a very culturally diverse population and this is influencing our taste buds. Our obsession with sushi is just one example. In 2011, we ate 115.6million serves of sushi and this is growing every year but we’re also eating a great variety of food from other cultures as well.”
According to Meadows, popular alternatives to the turkey at Christmas lunch in 2015 are :
- BBQ
- Sushi
- Seafood
- Tapas
- Antipasto
- Curry
