Every year trillions of searches are carried out on the internet. Google Trends analyses samples of these searches and tells us which of them are currently the most common. If you want to know more, follow this link: A Year In Search 2014.

So, what have we been searching for, and do the results tell us anything about ourselves? I thought it might be fun to compare three categories of search results from the two cultures that I know best: Italy and The United Kingdom. I’ve chosen: 1. Recipes, 2. Holiday destinations, and 3. How To …?. The results are pretty interesting, as you can see below.

Category 1. Most Searched For Recipes

Not surprisingly (for me at least) over half of the most sought after recipes in Italy are traditional Italian dishes. At number 1 we have the simple, but ever popular chiacchiere (literally: chats). Never heard of them? Here’s a little background information with a recipe from Serena: Chiacchiere di Carnevale

Interestingly, but once again not surprisingly, three out of the top ten recipes searched for in the UK are Italian.

Chiacchiere, Photo Public Domain by Clop

Category 2. Most Searched For Holiday Destinations

Whereas the British seem to be attracted to big foreign cities when they search for their holiday destinations (Paris, New York, Amsterdam, Dubai), the Italians seem to stay much closer to home. Of the ten destinations most searched for on Google by Italians six are located in Italy. Then we have Gozo, which is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, whilst both Krk and Pag are Croatian islands in the northern Adriatic Sea.

Category 3. Most Searched For ‘How To …’?

You’re never far from food in Italy, and if you’re not eating it you’re probably talking about it! Of the ten top ‘how to …?’ searched carried out by Italians five are food related. Then in fifth place we have Malocchio. You can find out more about this superstitious tradition in our blog: La Scaramanzia.

Here’s an amusing tongue in cheek video demonstrating how to discover whether someone has been cursed with Il Malocchio. Click on the image above to watch.

‘How to …?’ searches carried out in the UK seem pretty generic, and none of them are edible. The only result that in my opinion stands out as being fairly distinctively British is number ten ‘How to Wallpaper?’. Wallpaper is not very common here in Italy but absolutely ubiquitous in the UK.

Finally, I’m a bit worried that in second place in the UK charts we find ‘How to Kiss?’ Really! Now that’s something I can’t imagine finding in the Italian charts!

What are your thoughts on these results dear readers? Please let us know with a comment.