While it might not come as a total surprise to those who live here, Richmond is the “capital of Chinese cuisine” in Canada, according to a newly-released report by Chef’s Pencil.
Chinese food is also the most popular ethnic cuisine in Canada, according to the report.
The online food blog analyzed Google Trends data to see how different cultures’ cuisines ranked across the country and in different cities, and assigned a popularity score.
Google Trends counts how often search terms related to a specific food topic — for example, terms like “Chinese food,” “dim sum,” or “Chinese restaurants,” — are used in countries, provinces, town and cities relative to all Google searches in the area, then provides a popularity score.
In Richmond, the popularity score for Chinese food is 71, according to the report, and across Canada, it’s 55.
While Chinese food is popular throughout B.C., after Richmond, the cuisine has high popularity scores in Langley, with a score of 68; Vancouver, with a score of 65; and Kelowna, with a score of 58.
The report notes that, after the 1800s, many Chinese workers and immigrants turned to cooking in cafes, restaurants and private homes, adapting the cuisine to local tastes.
Chinese food in Canada further evolved in the 1960s, when a new wave of immigrants “demanded more authentic Chinese food,” according to Chef’s Pencil.
The second-most popular ethnic cuisine in Canada is Italian, with a popularity score of 36, according to the report, followed by Thai (score of 33), Indian (score of 25) and Mexican (score of 23).
According to the report, Vancouver — with a high rate of Mexican migrants and a popularity score of 100 — is the capital of Mexican food in Canada.
