Proof that British tastebuds changing
tomato ketchup to more exotic flavours - and the proof is
splattered across the nation's shirts, skirts and trousers, a study
showed on Thursday.
The British palate has matured in the past decade from tea and tomato ketchup to more exotic flavours - and the proof is splattered across the nation's shirts, skirts and trousers, a study showed on Thursday.
A Top 10 Stains List compiled by Johnson's, a leading dry cleaning firm, saw foreign flavours such as turmeric spice and sun-dried tomatoes displacing beetroot and blackcurrant among the most common marks on soiled laundry.
Topping the 2001 table of most common stains was turmeric, a pungent powder used to flavour and colour curry. Also new on the list were teriyaki sauce, olive oil, pesto sauce and the orange-yellow colours of saffron.
A list drawn up in 1991 featured traditional favourites such as tea, tomato ketchup, beetroot and blackcurrant, as well as ink and shoe polish.
"We found that with changing lifestyles and with foods from the East becoming more popular that our cleaning techniques just weren't powerful enough anymore," said Johnson's spokesman David Bryant.
"Our outlets now use an ultrasonic gun developed in Japan for the new generation of stains."
But some foods seem to have a timeless taste appeal and an enduring ability to leap on to clothing - red wine and coffee figured prominently on both the 1991 and 2001 lists.
