More Americans are interested in sampling Moroccan food, such as this platter of couscous. (Photo by hjw223 via Flickr)

More Americans are interested in sampling Moroccan food, such as this platter of couscous. (Photo by hjw223 via Flickr)

The United States is a great melting pot and evidence of our multicultural roots can often be found in the food we eat.

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A majority of Americans (77 percent) eat ethnic foods while dining out at least once a month, and more than one-third (38 percent) order ethnic food weekly, according to Technomic, a Chicago-based research firm.

Millennials — people between the ages of 18 and 34 — tend to be the most enthusiastic about sampling new foods.

“More and more consumers, particularly younger ones, are interested in trying new flavors,” said Technomic’s Mary Chapman. “When they try one ethnic cuisine and they like it, they want to try other similar cuisines.”

More than half of those surveyed said they are more interested in sampling ethnic cuisine now than they were one year ago. Chapman said this interest is stoked by increased exposure to ethnic cuisines, whether it’s from traveling or from seeing exotic dishes featured on food-related television shows.

What’s the next big thing in ethnic food? Moroccan, Korean, Southeast Asian, Vietnamese, Cuban and Peruvian foods are all growing in popularity.

Interest in ethnic flavors tends to start in urban areas and on the East and West Coasts of the United States before spanning out from the city to more rural areas and into the center of the country.

Technomic recently compiled a list of the most crowd-pleasing ethnic cuisines for Parade Magazine. Below are the Top 10 Most Popular Ethnic Cuisines in the United States right now.

Chinese 76%

Chinese - 76 percent (Photo: Alpha via Flickr)

Chinese – 76 percent (Photo: Alpha via Flickr)

 

Mexican 74%

Mexican - 74 percent (Photo: bionicgrrrl via Flickr)

Mexican – 74 percent (Photo: bionicgrrrl via Flickr)

 

Italian 71%

Italian - 71 percent (Photo:  Roberto Zingales via Flickr)

Italian – 71 percent (Photo: Roberto Zingales
via Flickr)

 

Japanese or sushi 32%

Japanese or sushi - 32 percent (Photo:  Ray Bouknight via Flickr)

Japanese or sushi – 32 percent (Photo: Ray Bouknight via Flickr)

 

Greek 32%

Greek - 32 percent (Photo: Tom Spaulding via Flickr)

Greek – 32 percent (Photo: Tom Spaulding via Flickr)

 

French 26%

French - 26 percent (Photo:  Ludovic via Flickr)

French – 26 percent (Photo: Ludovic via Flickr)

 

Thai 24%

Thai - 24 percent (Photo: Alpha via Flickr)

Thai – 24 percent (Photo: Alpha via Flickr)

 

Spanish 22%

Spanish - 22 percent (Photo: Hollywoodsmile310 via Flickr)

Spanish – 22 percent (Photo: Hollywoodsmile310 via Flickr)

 

Indian 19%

Indian - 19 percent (Photo:  Francisco Antunes via Flickr)

Indian – 19 percent (Photo: Francisco Antunes via Flickr)

 

Mediterranean 16%

Mediterranean - 16 percent (Photo: anokarina via Flickr)

Mediterranean – 16 percent (Photo: anokarina via Flickr)