Nestlè study: “Here are the most clicked recipes in 2021”

It is difficult to remember what our life was like before the Internet, when we did not live almost perpetually connected, as today, to the “www” which has transformed habits and ways of carrying out searches. Having everything at your fingertips has simplified everyday gestures, such as searching for a recipe. And it is precisely the world of recipes that the Nestlé Observatory wanted to explore: a universe apparently not very relevant but in continuous movement and which, in reality, says a lot about our eating habits and how our mental patterns have changed, even if only for the simple search for a dish to make. The two steps followed by the new survey by the Nestlé Observatory contemplate the most clicked recipes and research sources both current and before the advent of social networks. “Our sources are many and imaginative, capable of simplifying the preparation of a complex dish. Yet, the most clicked in the last 12 months, according to Google Trends, are strangely the simplest dishes, those that we could have learned even on our own – explains the research. – The first place goes to the pasta ones (in order, alla boscaiola, with peppers and pasta and beans), in the second place the pear cake, in the third place the pancakes, in the fourth the crepes, in the fifth place the pizza. sixth place a curious research: that of biscuits but not the appetizing ones as we commonly understand, but Squid Game biscuits made of sugar and bicarbonate only, directly baked from the Korean TV series. Perhaps a new fun way to make fun of friends? “.” Things are getting more interesting due to the rapidly increasing trends, which see us above all looking for lighter dishes such as poke, porridge and rice salad but also cocktails, in particular Sex on the Beach and Gin and Tonic, because in view of the summer we break in the evening to be able to devote ourselves to healthy dishes during the day, or vice versa – explains the research – Our gastronomic experience runs only through Google? So how did we do it before? The Nestlé Observatory study confirms that 95% of Italians use at least one online source and 67% use at least one social media to seek inspiration for recipes. Internet with Google guides our searches (56%), among the social media Youtube stands out among all (46%). But to each his own (source): 18-24 year olds (58% and … yes, we discover that they too are looking for recipes!) And 25-34 year olds (49%) rely above all on Instagram, the 35-44 year old group (58 %) draws mainly from the websites or blogs of cooking enthusiasts; 45-54 year olds (43%) prefer tutorials on Youtube. And it is among the over 55s (53%) that a particular predilection for family cookbooks stands out, a tradition carried on over time even after the boom of all online sources.But our life before the advent of social networks was not however so lacking in resources: 62% still enjoyed the good smell of printed paper, taking their cue mainly from cookbooks and 52% also from family recipe books, those handed down from generation to generation. 46% searched directly for the recipe through the Internet, 35% through dedicated television broadcasts and 34% relied on the recipes read in the newspapers or bought the magazines dedicated to cooking directly. Dr. Giuseppe Fatati, president of the Nestlé Observatory, comments “The pandemic has revolutionized our lives, forced us to redesign the day and we had more time to think about what to eat and how to prepare it. Home cooking has exploded but we have realized that it is not so easy to prepare a good dish and this has led us to look for more sources of information “. Why are we looking for the simplest dishes? Doctor Fatati explains to us: “Food and the act of eating do not answer a purely alimentary and utilitarian question but represent an important psychological gratification. Pasta in first place and pizza in fifth correspond to a group identity need. From the caloric point of view, a medium plate of pasta with mushrooms or boscaiola should not exceed 360 Kcalories but it all depends on how much Parmesan (10 grams about 40 Kcal) or pecorino is added. The tomato and mozzarella pizza should provide 271 Kcal for 100 grams, in reality it is sufficient to add a tablespoon of olive oil and the use of a mozzarella richer in fat to raise the overall intake of 150 calories. dish. The pear cake is sweet and rewarding, like the crepes and pancakes commonly used as a snack and often filled with chocolate. “According to Fatati:” Programs and formats on food tend to shape our culinary imagery in a positive way with a strong focus on aesthetic composition of the dish. In reality, in individual practice, aesthetics and palatability do not always coincide and sometimes diverge “. Perhaps also for this reason family cookbooks will never lose their charm, as Fatati observes: “I am sure that the appreciation of home cookbooks or at least of the consolidated recipes in the family has grown with the persistence of the pandemic, not only out of an innate affection for everything. what is familiar but because it is able to ensure a good result for our commitment “. The study on new research sources is one of several studies planned by the Nestlé Observatory which, since 2009, has been photographing the state of health of Italians, eating habits, habits and lifestyle, all aspects of physical and psychological well-being. and mood of a country that is changing rapidly and acquiring more and more awareness of a healthy lifestyle.