Did you ever wonder how do the Irish eat toast? More than half of us love toast in bed but 45% eat it on the go according to a new survey on our eating habits.
Donegal-based Gallagher’s Bakery set out to uncover just what Ireland’s toast habits are and the responses from the 1,000 people surveyed suggest that the Irish are a traditional bunch.
So how do the Irish eat toast?
When it comes to toast and where, when and with what they eat it, the survey says that Irish people really love to eat toast in bed.
When asked what the “strangest” place where one ate toast was, surprisingly more than 50% of those surveyed chose “in bed” though it’s unclear as to why that was particularly strange.
Arguably “strange” is the 1% of respondents claiming to have eaten toast on a private jet. Unsurprisingly 79% of Irish people say they eat toast for breakfast – a figure which rises to 85% for those aged over 55.
However, 25% see toast a mid-morning snack, while one in five has toast before bed (maybe that’s why “in bed” is so strangely popular?), and 12% favour a toasty midnight snack.
What about the “toastability” of a bread?
Research showed that 24% of people associate sourdough bread with good “toastability”.
Gallagher’s notes that sourdough is “the oldest form of leavened bread, with a tradition stretching back thousands of years” and 36% of respondents noted that it was “good for gut health”.
Looking at toast toppings, nearly 80% of respondents would go for the classic butter option, with jam coming in at 38%, followed by marmalade at 30%.
Smashed avocado on toast might be trendy but it only tempts 10% of Irish toast lovers.
“It’s refreshing to see 10% spreading an avocado, middle-eastern style, and 2% running with the southern Spanish staple of olive oil and garlic,” said Mary Horkan, Marketing Manager, Gallagher’s Bakehouse.
“We’ve even made a contribution to the Marmite debate – only 6% would put it on their toast, which would seem to imply that it’s hate it, not love it”.
How do you take your toast?