Video Skype chats keep us closer to the folks back home, and the internet can bring us up to date on "Eastenders" and "Fair City." So it's no surprise that, according to a recent survey, 61 percent of respondents named Tayto as the Irish product they miss most when they are abroad.


Tayto topped the list of most-missed Irish products among Irish emigrants.

While there's no indication on whether Tayto's Salt and Vinegar variety beat out the Cheese and Onion version, the salty snack topped the list of emigrant cravings. The survey, carried out by Checkout magazine in association with the marketing research company Behaviours & Attitudes, showed that second place – at 54 percent – on the emigrant's wish list is Kerrygold butter which, as everyone knows, is best enjoyed on a slice of Brennan's Batch Loaf (which is, oddly, not on the list).


Cadbury's Irish chocolate is the candy of choice for the diaspora.

Cadbury's Chocolate – the Irish kind, not the meh American version – was missed by 53 percent of the respondents, while 50 percent say that wimpy foreign imitators leave them gasping for a proper cup of Barry's Tea.


The creamy goodness of Kerrygold Irish butter lingers in the memory.

Meat products also made the list, with memories of Denny's rashers and sausages leaving hungry emigrants longing for a taste of home.


There's nothing quite like Denny's sausages and rashers, say the Irish abroad.

Not surprisingly, those polled gave Ireland high marks when it came to rating the overall quality of specific product categories.


Irish stout is unique, according to John O'Mahony of the Behaviours and Attitudes market research company.

Guinness and other breweries will be interested to know that while stout is popular the world over, 76 percent of the respondents believe the quality is superior in Ireland. Behaviours & Attitudes associate director, John O'Mahony, called Irish stout "unique," and said that its excellent reputation reflects well on the country's agrarian strengths.


Barry’s Tea makes a lovely cuppa, say the Irish abroad.

But while most think of tea, crisps (potato chips) or a pint of plain as Ireland's most iconic exports, O'Mahony cites a surprising product as an iconic Irish foodstuff.

"The diaspora … [advocates] the quality of Ireand's meat and dairy produce," he said. "Beyond our unique stout, it's the Irish rasher that stands apart in an international context."