Chinese Cuisine is Redefining Comfort Food

Comfort food is being redefined, as globally-inspired comfort foods merge with those typically associated with American comfort, participants heard during Datassential’s recent Midyear Trends Event Simply Smarter Webinar.

Chinese cuisine is just one of the key global cuisines at the center of this shift. Thirty-nine percent of U.S. consumers say they’ve had Chinese fusion in the past year, according to Datassential’s New Chinese report. Chinese cuisine has surpassed Italian as the “second most-loved global cuisine by Gen Z,” said Jaclyn Marks, a Datassential Trendologist & Senior Publications Manager.  

“When you’re thinking about comfort, Italian might be one of those cuisines that’s also top-of-mind, along with pasta,” Marks said. “But, looking to the future, we see Chinese is up there right alongside Italian for comfort.”

Fifty-six percent of Gen Z want to see more Chinese cuisine at restaurants near them — outpacing Italian (52%) and Mexican (55%), according to Datassential’s Next-Gen Global report. Among Gen Z consumers who have tried each of these cuisines, 81% love or like Mexican, followed by Chinese (75%), and Italian (71%), according to Datassential One.

The webinar attributed the shift, in part, to social media, which 50% of Gen Z cite as their top source for discovering globally-influenced foods, well above the 33% overall rate, per Datassential’s Global Flavors report. 

Chinese-influenced dish introductions have soared in recent years, led by noodle and rice formats that fit naturally into comfort food. Among new menu items, Moo shu beef is up 3,543% and vegetable chow mein up 2,589%, according to Datassential’s Menu Trends: What’s New report. The webinar also highlighted shrimp chow mein as part of the wave. 

These Chinese-influenced introductions play into rising consumer interest in regional global cuisines that go beyond American-Chinese staples. The webinar highlighted how Panda Express recently launched Cantonese barbecue brisket, which the chain described as “its biggest menu innovation yet.” Datassential’s New Chinese report reveals that 47% of U.S. consumers are interested in trying Cantonese cuisine specifically, while 26% have already tried it.