British menus to undergo big changes

GLASGOW, Scotland, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Within a generation, fish and chips, shepherd's pie and other traditional British meals will be replaced by more exotic dishes, Scotsman.com reported.

Food scientists at Sainsbury, Britain's third-largest supermarket chain, say the British palate is changing so fast that some traditional fare are all but in the history books.

The report, "The Future of Food," found that new dishes from Morocco, Peru and Vietnam will be as popular in 30 years as Indian, Chinese and Italian food is today.

A panel made up of chefs, a food scientist, technologist and product developer said focus groups and surveys indicate that in 20 years, foods such as quinoa, moonfish and anasazi will be common British kitchens.

"Quinoa, a Peruvian grain, could become an alternative to mashed potato," the report said. "Traditional baked beans, which are made of haricot beans, could be replaced with baked anasazi beans instead, washed down with squash made from pomegranate."

The report also predicted more consumption of fish fingers made from moonfish, while Atlantic white fish replaces cod and cabbage gives way to hiziki, a strong-tasting sea plant.

"The average shopper in 1974 would have been horrified to know that by 2004 a clove of garlic would make a regular appearance in their basket," John Wood, executive chef at Sainsbury, said. "But looking ahead, one thing's for sure: the British palate is becoming more and more experimental. As the world gets smaller and we travel further, so our desire for diverse tastes gets bigger."