Kiwis seem to be rediscovering the joys of home cooking in a big way, and when our friends at the Sunday Star Times asked us to find out if this trend was supported by Google search statistics, we were happy to oblige.

We investigated the most searched-for cooking terms on Google.co.nz in 2009 and, as a comparison, back in 2004. We also pulled a few more cooking-related trends from around the world, which make for really interesting reading.

Since 2004 we‘ve seen cooking and food-related Google searches continually trending up across the globe, indicating that more and more people are making use of the spontaneity and choice that the internet offers those searching for meal-time inspiration.

What the recipe search lists reveal is that New Zealand shares a number of classic culinary favourites, such as pancakes and chocolate cake, with our closest cultural neighbours – Australia, the US and the UK. But while we have much in common, it’s fascinating to see the regional variations that so clearly reflect our cultures too. For instance, the US Top 20 list is instantly identifiable by American favourites such as meatloaf, pumpkin pie, salsa, margaritas and guacamole; and where else but the UK would you find Yorkshire pudding, fish pie and sloe gin making the top 20?

Back in New Zealand, the popularity of searches for international dishes such as biscotti, tiramisu and sushi has waned slightly since Google records began in 2004. Muffins – popular in 2004 – have been superseded by the current rage for cupcakes, though we have to say it’s great to see the good old Kiwi lolly cake still makes it in to the most recent top 20. And if there was ever any doubt that New Zealand is the spiritual home of the pavlova, you only need to use the NZ and Australian top 20 recipe lists as evidence – ‘pavlova’ comes in at No 13 on the New Zealand list compared with No 20 in Australia.

Finally, it’s encouraging to see that despite the craze for big-name international celebrity chefs, our homegrown kitchen talent is just proving as popular with Kiwis, with half of the Top 10 chefs hailing from NZ.

We hope you find these search results as interesting as we have!

2009 – New Zealand – Top 20 ‘recipe’ searches
pancake recipe
banana cake recipe
chocolate cake recipe
cupcake recipe
pumpkin soup recipe
butter chicken recipe
scone recipe
apple crumble recipe
chocolate brownie recipe
cheesecake recipe
carrot cake recipe
waffle recipe
pavlova recipe
tiramisu recipe
quiche recipe
meatloaf recipe
gingerbread men recipe
lolly cake recipe
pizza base recipe
hummus recipe

2004 – New Zealand – Top 20 ‘recipe’ searches
banana cake recipe
pancake recipe
chocolate cake recipe
bread recipe
tiramisu recipe
biscotti recipe
sushi recipe
russian fudge recipe
gingerbread men recipe
scone recipe
lolly cake recipe
hummus recipe
waffle recipe
butter chicken recipe
mulled wine recipe
carrot cake recipe
apple crumble recipe
muffin recipe
pumpkin pie recipe
pavlova recipe

2009 – Australia – Top 20 ‘recipe’ searches
Pancake recipe
Banana cake recipe
Banana bread recipe
Scone recipe
Pumpkin soup recipe
Chocolate cake recipe
Quiche recipe
Cheesecake recipe
Cupcake recipe
Anzac biscuit recipe
Playdough recipe
Potato bake recipe
Fried rice recipe
Tiramisu recipe
Carbonara recipe
Pavlova recipe
Apple crumble recipe
Lamb shanks recipe
Meatloaf recipe
Butter chicken recipe

2009 – USA – Top 20 ‘recipe’ searches
banana bread recipe
meatloaf recipe
chili recipe
pancake recipe
cheesecake recipe
sangria recipe
mojito recipe
apple pie recipe
lasagna recipe
salsa recipe
french toast recipe
hummus recipe
meatball recipe
margarita recipe
chicken salad recipe
apple crisp recipe
sugar cookie recipe
pumpkin pie recipe
guacamole recipe
pesto recipe

2009 – UK – Top 20 ‘recipe’ searches
pancake recipe
chocolate cake recipe
cheesecake recipe
flapjack recipe
yorkshire pudding recipe
cookie recipe
victoria sponge recipe
sponge cake recipe
paella recipe
shortbread recipe
apple crumble recipe
cupcake recipe
carrot cake recipe
banana cake recipe
mojito recipe
fish pie recipe
biscuit recipe
lasagne recipe
sloe gin recipe
cake recipe

NZ – 2009 – Top 10 ‘chef’ searches
top chef
master chef
sous chef
chef jobs
iron chef
chef training
chef de partie
kenwood chef
youda sushi chef
thai chef

NZ – Top 10 chefs’ recipes searches
jamie oliver recipes
nigella lawson recipes
jo seagar recipes
gordon ramsay recipes
alison holst recipes
donna hay recipes
rick stein recipes
ruth pretty recipes
richard till recipes
julia childs recipes

Posted by Annie Baxter, Google New Zealand

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