Tourist experience and change in culinary tastes. An example of Polish students in Warsaw

Abstract

Travelling and culinary experiences of people on nutrition, ethnic cuisine, etc. have an impact on culinary habits. Tourists who encounter the local population at the place of destination start to be interested in the habits and culinary traditions of other nations. This familiarity with other culinary traditions becomes not only a source of new gastronomic experiences, but also the beginning of changes in eating preferences. This phenomenon can be noticed especially in the case of young people, e.g. students. This chapter presents the results of a study that sought to discover the culinary preferences of a group of students at the University of Warsaw. The study aimed to determine whether student tourism is linked to their increased interest in, and knowledge of, ethnic cuisines. It revealed that although eating in ethnic restaurants is popular among students, the relationship between travelling and eating ethnic food is not particularly strong. The location of the 121 ethnic restaurants and bars visited by participants was also explored.