It is traditionally a staple of Italian cuisine but in modern cookeryis used across the globe. Now the popularity of pasta has been confirmed in a survey which places it as the world's favourite food ahead of meat, rice and pizza.

　　A global survey by Oxfam saw pasta narrowly top the list thanks to its growing popularity in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. Oxfam said the survey of eating habits in 17 countries shows how Western diets have spread across the world。

　　在乐施会的这项调查中，意大利面因其在美洲、亚洲、非洲及欧洲不断飙升的人气险胜。乐施会表示，这项调查分析了全球17个国家的饮食习惯，结果显示西式饮食已遍布全世界。

　　Although national dishes are still popular - such as paellain Spain and schnitzel in Germany - pizza and pasta are now the favourite foods of many, with more than half of the countries (nine out of 17) listing one or both in their top three foods。

　　虽然西班牙的海鲜饭和德国的炸猪排等国家传统菜肴依旧流行，但披萨和意面已成为多个国家最中意的美食。在这17个国家中，超过半数的国家(9个)将其中之一或两者都列为榜单的前三名。

　　But as a food with around 600 different varieties including popular exports like penne and tagliatelle, pasta reigns supreme thanks to its versatilityand specialities。

　　但是作为一种有着600种种类的食物，包括在世界范围内备受欢迎的通心粉和干面条，意大利面因其多样的做法与独特的风味仍旧高居榜首。

　　Pasta ranked as the second most popular food in the UK, behind steak and ahead of chicken. Curry, thought by many to be one of the most popular cuisines in Britain, ranked fourth。

　　在英国，意大利面位居榜单第二，高于鸡肉，仅次于牛排。咖喱排在第四位，是多数人心中英国最受欢迎的食物。

　　The survey also highlighted the worldwide popularity for Asian food - Chinese was the second-most popular in Mexico while sushi made the top ten in five countries including the USA and South Africa。

　　这项调查同时也突出显示了亚洲食物在全世界范围的流行程度：中国菜是墨西哥人第二喜爱的菜肴，而对于包括美国及南非在内的五个国家来说，寿司是他们的最爱。

　　There were some surprising results as well, with sweet-toothed Australia naming chocolate as its favourite food。

　　这项调查中也有意想不到的结果。好吃甜食的澳大利亚人认为巧克力才是他们最喜欢的食物。

　　And despite its worldwide dominancein the fast food market for decades, McDonald's ranked a lowly 113 in the list. Its rival KFC did not fare much better, coming in at 107.

　　此外，主宰了世界快餐市场数十载的麦当劳在榜单上仅仅排在了113位。其对手肯德基的情况同样不容乐观，排在107位。

　　The opinion poll also revealed that the cost of food is a worldwide worry with two thirds saying it is one of their top food concerns. More than half of the people questioned globally (54 per cent) said they are not eating the same food they did two years ago, with two fifths (39 per cent) of those saying it was because food was becoming more expensive。

　　调查同时显示了世界范围内对食品价格的担忧。三分之二的受访人表示价格是他们在食物方面选择的首要因素。超过半数的受访者(54%)认为现在吃的东西较两年前有所改变，39%的人认为这是因为食品的价格上涨了。

　　The news comes despite debate as to whether pasta is good for you at all, with conflicting diet advice suggesting it can help you both lose weight or pile on the pounds。

　　尽管人们仍在争辩意大利面是否对健康有利，是帮助了减肥还是会增加体重，但这丝毫没有影响它成为世界最受欢迎的食物。

　　Pasta is widely thought to have originated from Arab invaders who conquered Sicily in the eight century fed by slow-release carbohydrates. The food they ate which originated from dried noodle was made from durum wheat - the stapleingredient which must now be used in all dried pasta by Italian law。

　　人们普遍认为意大利面源于8世纪的阿拉伯入侵者。征服了西西里岛的阿拉伯人正是吃着这种食物长大的。他们吃的这种食物来源于干面，由硬质小麦制成。根据意大利的法律，所有的干制意大利面都必须使用这种原料。