Immigration is an important factor in contributing in the rise of individuals trying and buying ethnic foods. When immigrants come to America, they tend to bring over the influence of their culture here, including that of their food cuisines.
According to statistics from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, between 1981 to 1996 there has been 498,309 new residents arriving from India. After we see this rise in immigration the US consumer awareness of Indian cuisine has increased to 74% (Roberts 2001). In 2013, the number of new immigrants had risen with about 2 million Indian immigrants residing in the U.S. , According to the US Census Bureau (Zong and Batalova 2015).
Between 1995-1998 more than 394,000 Caribbean immigrants entered the US. In 1998, the INS stated Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic were part of the top 11 countries of origin for immigrants. The 9.9 % of foreign born people were from the Caribbean in 2001 (Roberts 2001). According to the US Census Bureau American Community Service, 3.5 million immigrants from the Caribbean lived in the US in 2009. (Migration Policy Institute 2011). This growing popularity of this cuisine is seen in a division of Darden Restaurants, the Bahama Breeze where Caribbean foods feature a mix of foods from different ethnicities. With the US seen as a home to many diverse backgrounds, this ethnic food fusion appeals to a broad demographic (Roberts 2001).
As seen by this chart, the INS portrays an increase of Asian immigration to the US. From the 1970s to the 2000s, China’s influx of immigrants increases from 124,000 people to about 553,000 (Roberts 2001). According to the US Census Bureau American Community Service, about 2,018,000 immigrants lived in the US in 2013 (Migration Policy Institute 2015).
The largest immigrant group in the US are from Mexico. Between 1980 and 2013, the number of Mexicans living in the US increased from 2.2 million to 11.6 million (Migration Policy Institute 2014).