The Country Food Similarity Index has established that Poland and Chad have the least similar food in the world. The analysis shows that the starches, meats, fruits, vegetables, and cooking oils in the cuisines are extremely different.
But what country’s food is extremely different from both Poland and Chad? The data shows that Micronesia‘s food has the least in common with either country. Rice and cassava are the two most common starches in Micronesia, while they are wheat and potatoes in Poland, and sorghum and millet in Chad. Saltwater fish is the most commonly eaten meat in Micronesia, in contrast to pork in Poland and lamb in Chad. Furthermore, coconuts are far more popular in Micronesia than in Chad or Poland.
Extending this analysis even further, we find that Turkmenistan has the least similar food to the average of Poland, Chad, and Micronesia. This makes some sense because it has a much colder climate than Micronesia and Chad. It is also landlocked, unlike Micronesia and Poland. Although the two most popular starches in Turkmenistan are wheat and potatoes, like Poland, the rest of its ingredients are significantly different. Since Turkmenistan is predominately Muslim, pork is not widely consumed there. Instead, beef is the most commonly eaten protein. Furthermore, watermelons and grapes are more popular in Turkmenistan than Poland.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the next country to make the list, since its diet is far different from the diets in Micronesia, Poland, Turkmenistan, and Chad. Despite the fact that both Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo are located in Africa, their food has little else in common. Cassava is by far the most commonly eaten starch in Congo. Unlike the rest of these countries, freshwater fish is the most popular meat in Congo. Furthermore, the banana is a bigger part of its diet.
The list could be continued even further. However, since Solomon Islands and Micronesia are somewhat similar, this seems to be a logical end point.
