"My main indulgence is chocolate, it’s probably my biggest weakness" - Emma Raducanu opens up about her love for food

Emma Raducanu's multicultural background and upbringing are also reflected in her palette. Her dietary preferences are quite diverse and in a recent interview with National Geographic, the young Brit spilled the beans about her eating habits.

Raducanu is quite close to her family and eating the dumplings made by her mother and grandma during their trips to China remains a cherished memory for her.

"I have so many memories of my mum and grandma cooking dumplings. When I’d go back to China, we’d all crowd round a tiny kitchen table — it was a great way to spend time with family and I miss those days very much. Prawn, egg and chive is probably my favourite dumpling, but there’s also pork and Chinese cabbage, and another one is pork, sauerkraut and celery. There are so many different variations," she said on her visits to China.

Emma Raducanu also has Romanian heritage and her other grandmother would visit them in England from time to time, while also treating them to some home-cooked traditional delicacies.

"My Romanian grandma would come over to England and her home-cooked meals were always amazing. She’d make sarmale, a traditional Romanian dish of rice and meat wrapped in sauerkraut cabbage and boiled in a pot with tomato sauce for a couple of hours. She’d stand in the kitchen from 8am until 4pm and make these dishes, and that’s all she’d do every single day," she recalled.

The 2021 US Open champion stressed on the importance of healthy eating as an athlete. However, she still finds it tough to stay away from chocolate. She also made an attempt to cut down her steak intake, but since it's quite good for the muscles, she incorporates it into her diet.

"After a tournament, my main indulgence is chocolate — it’s probably my biggest weakness. I’d say I eat pretty healthily, but when it comes to chocolate, I really need to rein myself in. And also steak, which I don’t eat very often and went two years without having it, but more recently I find it’s a good way to repair the muscles post tournament. After a match, I keep it pretty clean seeing as I have to go again the next day." - Raducanu stated.

Emma Raducanu's bucketlist includes a trip to Japan

Emma Raducanu loves the hawker markets in Singapore and the variety of dishes one can find there. The Brit also adores Korean food and relished the seafood tofu jjigae she tasted during her trip to Seoul.

"I absolutely love the hawker markets in Singapore. I like the diversity there; there are the hawker markets, but you can also get high-end food if you want to completely switch it up. I also love Korean food; the seafood tofu jjigae I had in Seoul is one of my favourite dishes," she said.

While the 20-year-old hasn't been to Japan, it is next up on her list. She admires the culture deeply and is crazy about sushi and sashimi. Cuba is another country that she'd love to visit.

"Japanese food is another one! Oh my god, I could eat so much sushi and sashimi! But if I could only have one dish, it’d be black cod. I’ve never actually been to Japan and would love to go; they’re masters at work and really take pride in what they do. Another place I’d like to visit is Cuba — fried plantains are out there with some of my favourite things," she added.

To read Emma Raducanu's full interview, click here.