We South Africans are major foodies! With an incredible variety of local cuisine, mixed in with some international flavours and dishes, South African food is a unique indulgence for locals and tourists alike. Uber Eats is uncovering what South Africans love to eat.

By Taryn Wilson

To get a feel for what foods we prefer, Uber Eats decided to host a little experiment to uncover the
language of food. The crew set up a stand in Johannesburg and asked 104 people to order
food with the Uber Eats app, either for themselves or others and, with the help of an Electrocardiography (ECG) machine and a nurse, measured their heart rates while doing so.

The results showed some interesting statistics, with the most popular food choices being pizza (23%), Asian food (18%), and burgers, dessert and health foods (14%). Pizza was the most popular Italian choice, coming in at 80% while only 20% chose pasta. When ordering, many users’ heart rates increased by an average of 8.44 beats per minute, showing the excitement that comes with getting food (of course!).

‘Many Uber Eats users say they order food to enhance their mood. We wanted to find out directly how people react to food, as well as educate consumers on the Language of Food that we all speak,’ says Uber Eats South Africa General Manager Ailyssa Khan, ‘From our research, we have seen that not only does food make South Africans incredibly happy, with upticks in heart rate, but that we are fluent in ‘Italian’ – pizza in particular. With Uber Eats delivering food from anywhere at any time to anyone, we can all easily speak the Language of Food.’

But they didn’t stop there. Uber Eats posted polls on their social media platforms every day for a week to ask foodies to pick their favourites. They found that 53% of South Africans love ordering sushi for takeout, while 47% prefer waiting for a big steak. And when it comes to feeling down, South Africans tend to indulge in comfort foods rather than opt for healthy options. Doughnuts (56%), ice-cream (55%) and chocolate (44%) were all favourites!

Clearly, we have a sweet tooth and a love for international tastes! But what is even more interesting are the connections that are shared over food and how it becomes so much more than just sustenance, especially when indulging!

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