The survey of 1,076 readers of BBC Magazines found that beans on toast was the favourite dish for students at Universities in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s but that by the noughties it had plummeted out of the top five. Spaghetti Bolognese and pizza are now more popular, along with dishes such as stir fries. However the breakfast fry up and roast dinner remain as popular today for students as they were for their parents when they were students.
The findings show the influence of international cuisine in our diets over the years, with the Oriental- inspired stir fry seeing a dramatic increase, from just 4% regularly consuming it in the 1960s, to 53% today, making it the 5th most popular dish from the past decade. The number of students eating pizza has increased from 26% of students in the eighties to 57% today.
The survey also found that students' culinary abilities have improved over the past twenty years, with the number of students able to cook more than six dishes from scratch rising from 53% in the 1980s to 64% in the noughties. However, among the upcoming crop of students, according to parents and relatives, only 42% could cook more than six dishes, though this rose to 56% for students currently at University, suggesting a degree of culinary experimentation in student kitchens.
According to Gillian Carter, editor of Good Food magazine: "The sight of a student kitchen can make a parent's heart sink, but these findings reflect the changes in our diet and show the cosmopolitan influence spreading from our restaurants and homes into halls of residence. However it seems the latest crop of students need to learn new skills in the kitchen as well as the lecture hall in order to give themselves the right brain food. In this month's Good Food magazine we have four student staples including super healthy Spaghetti Bolognese with a twist, vegetable curry and an all-day breakfast, all high in nutrition and low cost."
October's Good Food magazine, featuring easy meals for students, is on sale now priced at £3.40. www.bbcgoodfood.com has more than 6,000 recipes online.
1960s
1. Beans on toast 68%
2. Soup 48%
3. Jacket potato 31%
4. Spaghetti bolognese 31%
5. Salad 28%
6. Cheese toasties 27%
7. English fry up 25%
8. Curry 21%
9. Roast dinner 19%
10. Chilli con carne 12%
1970s
1. Beans on toast 67%
2. Spaghetti bolognese 44%
3. Jacket potato 43%
4. Soup 42%
5. Cheese toasties 33%
6. English fry up 26%
7. Salad 24%
8. Chilli con carne 23%
9. Curry 20%
10. Roast dinner 18%
1980s
1. Beans on toast 64%
2. Jacket potato 53%
3. Spaghetti bolognese 52%
4. Soup 51%
5. Cheese toasties 43%
6. Chilli con carne 36%
7. Salad 28%
8. Stir fry 27%
9. Tuna pasta 27%
10. Pizza 26%
1990s
1. Beans on toast 62%
2. Jacket potato 61%
3. Spaghetti bolognese 60%
4. Cheese toasties 60%
5. Stir fry 49%
6. Soup 47%
7. Pizza 45%
8. Oven chips 45%
9. Tuna pasta 44%
10. Chilli con carne 40%
2000s
1. Spaghetti bolognese 57%
2. Pizza 57%
3. Jacket potato 56%
4. Soup 55%
5. Stir fry 53%
6. Cheese toasties 52%
7. Beans on toast 50%
8. Oven chips 41%
9. Curry 39%
10. Salad 38%
