February 21/New York/States News Service -- Americans are broadening their tastes to include a wider range of ethnic cuisines, according to a Mintel report. The research group found that consumers were expanding beyond Chinese, Italian and Mexican to embrace new ethnic cuisines. The number of retail items described with the words "Thai," "Japanese" or "Caribbean" increased significantly between 2009 and 2010.
"Thai" usage jumped 68% during that time; "Caribbean" usage advanced 150%, and "Japanese" usage rose more than 230%. The restaurant industry has started to enlarge its ethnic dishes as well.