Confused by kimchi? Diners prefer to bite their tongues

NINE in 10 diners have admitted they fail to recognise ingredients on restaurant menus, a study has found.

The report by Barclaycard surveyed 2,000 diners and found that a quarter were too embarrassed to ask front-ofhouse staff to explain ingredients or dishes to them.

As a result, more than half (55 per cent) said that they had been disappointed when dishes arrived and they were not as expected. Despite being increasingly frequent ingredients, 50 per cent of respondents had never heard of kimchi, a pickled cabbage dish, 62 per cent had not heard of girolles, a type of mushroom, and 57 per cent did not recognise burrata, a creamy Italian cheese.

In an attempt to help diners who struggle with less familiar terms, Barclaycard has trialled its “Transplater” app at Frederick’s restaurant in Islington, London, where images and descriptions of unfamiliar ingredients are provided to the diner.

Matt Segal, the manager of Frederick’s, said he hoped the app would “encourage customers to be more adventurous and try different foods”.

He said: “We frequently introduce interesting ingredients while ensuring classic favourites that they love are also on the menu.”

Kirsty Morris, Barclaycard’s payment solutions director, told The Caterer: “It’s clear diners can be put off by the embarrassment of having to ask what certain ingredients are. This is why we have developed an app that could help diners in their menu choices.”