A study drawing on online search data has found that Australians are increasingly open to exploring a more diverse food experiences.

The inaugural Forks & Searches report commissioned by savings and coupons company CupoNation found that Ethiopian food is piquing the interest of Australian tastebuds, while Adelaide residents are among the most food curious.

Drawing on more than 9400 Google search terms and 23,706 TripAdvisor restaurant listings across six major cities, the study found that while Japanese food is the most searched cuisine, there has been a surprising 2767 per cent surge in searches for Ethiopian food.

With 220,000 monthly searches (more than Italian, French, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese combined), Japanese food is by far the most popular in Australia.

French was the second most-searched cuisine at 53,000 a month, followed by Vietnamese at 44,000, Korean with 40,500 and Italian at 36,200.

But when it came to the growth in searches, Ethiopian – characterised by communal dining experiences and rich, spice-driven flavours – was the clear frontrunner.

Ethiopian food is served on a communal platter known as a gebeta and is designed for sharing. It generally consists of flat bread, or injera, accompanied by stews, curries, or vegetables.

Interest in French food was up 1600 per cent, while German cuisine – despite sitting near the bottom of the nationwide top 10 searches – surged by 1588 per cent.

Other fast-climbers included English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino cuisines.

Top food cities

When it comes to who is searching for restaurants and where, Adelaide is emerging as a surprising foodie hub.

While Melbourne is the undisputed leader with 26.3 searches per 1000 residents each month, the South Australian capital takes a surprise second at 24.5 searches, edging past Sydney.

Despite having the the highest total search volume overall, Sydney lands third when measured per capita at 23 searches per 1000 people, almost equal with Brisbane.

Perth records 22.1 searches and Canberra rounds out the list at 17.5.

CupoNation’s Creed Van Ryt said the study’s findings showed that while Australians may be feeling cost-of-living pain, they’re not losing their appetite for discovery.

“From the meteoric rise of Ethiopian cuisine to Adelaide’s unexpected edge in culinary curiosity, the data shows that we’re a nation eager to explore flavours that surprise and connect us,” Van Ryt said.