Dear Foodies and Gluttons, let’s explore 2021’s most exciting ordering trends in India, from main course food to snacks, desserts, and midnight cravings, in Swiggy’s sixth annual StatEATstics report.
While working from home continued to be a common occurrence in 2021, many people turned to order for comfort.
Swiggy’s most ordered snack of the year was the humble desi samosa with about 5 million orders. According to an annual report by online food delivery company Swiggy, the country ate enough samosas the size of New Zealand and enough tomatoes to play the Spanish Tomatina festival for eleven years. 2 million people ordered Pav Bhaji, India’s second favourite snack.
Biryani was the top dish this year. There were more than 5.5 crore orders this year, compared to 3.5 crores in 2020. Over 115 biryanis were ordered per minute or 1.91 biryanis per second. Vegetable biryanis were ordered 4.3 times more than chicken biryanis.
However, in India’s night owls’ order history, a twist was apparent. Post 10 pm, cheese-garlic bread, popcorn, and French fries became the go-to items. The most ordered dessert on Swiggy is gulab jamun, followed by ras malai, with 1.27 million orders.
Despite the popularity of chicken biryani in Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Hyderabad, dal khichdi topped the charts in Mumbai. Considering dal khichdi, the search for healthy food doubled in 2021, and health-focused restaurants saw a 200 per cent increase in orders. Bengaluru emerged as the most health-conscious city, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai.
On Mondays and Thursdays, Indians eat the healthiest. Keto orders grew by 23 per cent, while vegan and plant-based food orders surged by 83 per cent. There has been a 23 per cent increase in Keto orders. There has been an 83 per cent increase in vegan and plant-based food orders. Swiggy delivers to 500 cities across India.
As far as groceries go, Instamart delivered 28 million fruit and vegetable packs alone in 2021. Onions, potatoes, bananas, and tomatoes topped the list of fruits and veggies delivered in less than 30 minutes.
1.4 million packets of instant noodles, 3.1 million packets of chocolate, 2.3 million tubs of ice cream, and 6.1 million packets of chips were ordered online after 10 pm Chips were the most popular purchase after 10 pm.
