Dubai: The most popular foods across the Middle East in 2019 may not surprise you with pizza and Shawarma claiming the top spot, with Acai, falafel, and Poke not too far behind. Breath mints all round as garlic was the favourite seasoning, ranking 8th on the list in the UAE and 4th in Saudi Arabia.

But what will you be ordering in 2020? We took a look at which foods are accelerating in popularity on Uber Eats and uncovered a few key trends rising to the top as we start the new decade.

2020 Foodcast predictions

Looking at the sharpest increases in customer search and order volumes on the Uber Eats app, we’ve identified flax seed as the emerging superfood to watch in 2020 across EMEA. Our love for all things garlic is likely to continue into 2020 and our acai bowls will probably be topped with delicious cacao, which rounds out the top 5 list.

The ‘hottest’ food trends for 2020 include:

  • Flax
  • Kombucha
  • Garlic
  • Chanterelle mushrooms
  • Cacao

The ‘coldest’ food trends we see on the decline as we head towards 2020 include:

  • Sriracha
  • Taro
  • Matcha
  • Tofu
  • Kimchi

UAE’s most popular foods of 2019

In the UAE, food lovers showed a preference for something cold, either a trendy poke bowl for a savory kick or an Instagram-friendly acai for something sweeter. However pizza nabbed the top spot on the list as the most popular order throughout the year.

The most popular items include:

  • Pizza
  • Acai
  • Poke
  • Shawarma
  • Tacos
  • Falafel
  • Garlic
  • Halloumi
  • Hummus
  • Popcorn

KSA most popular foods of 2019

In KSA, we saw the rise of vegetarianism with meat-free dishes ranking 8th in most ordered food throughout 2019. When it comes to guilty pleasures, there’s nothing quite like a pizza to satisfy those cravings, ranking 2nd, just behind shawarma.

The most popular items include:

  • Shawarma
  • Pizza
  • Falafel
  • Garlic
  • Halloumi
  • Hummus
  • Vegetarian
  • Honey
  • Quinoa
  • Protein

Matthew Denman, General Manager, Uber Eats Middle East and North Africa: “Our goal is to bring people the food they love, when they want and wherever life takes them. With a wide selection of options on the platform to suit all tastes, over the last year, we saw that although the usual take-out options are still popular, there was a jump in the popularity of health-conscious dining, with people looking to enjoy foods that contain added health benefits - like flax seeds.

What is particularly interesting is the global trends we see across markets, with Uber Eats available in more than 35 countries around the world, there were similarities. For example, Shawarma was included in the top 20 lists across EMEA, as well as in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

With more than 3,000 restaurants and a wide selection of cuisines to choose from across both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, we're pleased to see how our platform is helping transform food delivery from that guilty weekend treat to your go-to healthy, everyday meal, and we’re looking forward to this continuing into 2020”.

Methodology

  • Ranking of the most popular food items on the Uber Eats app over six months (April-October 2019) across Europe, Middle East and Africa by country.
  • Ranking of the ‘hottest’ food items, of which we’ve seen some of the largest acceleration in orders in EMEA over the past 6 months (April-October 2019).
  • Ranking of the ‘coldest’ food items, of which we’ve seen some of the largest deceleration in orders in EMEA over the past 6 months (April-October 2019).

--Ends--

About Uber Eats

Uber Eats is an on-demand food delivery app and website that helps bring millions of people around the world the food they want, at the tap of a button. Partnering with over 100,000 restaurants across 350 cities in 36 countries, Uber Eats offers meals for every taste and occasion. From specialty local favorites to everyday national brand names, Uber Eats offers millions of dishes, reliably delivered fast and fresh in as little as 30-minutes.

For more information, please visit UberEats.com or download the app at http://ubr.to/eatsapp. 

For Uber Eats media enquiries:
press@uber.com 

© Press Release 2020

Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.

The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.