From making spices out of vegetable peels to innovative cooking styles, it feels like we’ve seen it all in 2023. But in the age of social media, the race to introduce new trends never ends. Emerging food artists, talented chefs, and influencers keep us hooked on some delicious food reels and teach us new and innovative ways to use food supplies and kitchen equipment.
Not only that, but the trends also continued to evolve last year, familiarising everyone with the popular ingredients that would bring a new definition to the ways of cooking. As we bid farewell to 2023, it is time to make way for new food trends this year and seek the best opportunities to level up the cooking game.
Food enthusiasts and industry professionals are watching the changing world of flavours, textures, and eating experiences that are poised to alter our plates and dining habits with bated breath. From unusual ingredients to creative cooking techniques, here are seven expected food trends for the year that promise to revolutionise the way we eat.
1. Mouthwatering Mashups
It's time for hybrid food fusions to shine! When 2023 introduced us to food fusions like gulab jamun truffles and dabeli bruschetta, 2024 will certainly amp up the fusion game by bringing forth new and evolved fusion dishes like burger quesadillas and pizza pot pies. While recipes may not be new, introducing new ingredients to them will surely take the dish to an enhanced level. Food influencers have already gotten their hands dirty in the kitchen trying new fusion experiments and entertaining the audience.
2. Solo Dining
One of the best trends out there, Solo Dining will all be about enjoying your own company instead of someone else's. With solo travelling becoming an emerging craze among food vloggers and their followers, 2024 will all be about embracing the solo dining experience. Several chefs have already anticipated solo dining as one of the most important increasing trends and the restaurant business is enhancing to adapt to this by adjusting the menus to include smaller plates.
3. Less Processed Plant-Based Meals
With plant-based meals and veganism being all the hype of the previous year, food production companies figured out a way to make a profit out of this trend by introducing processed plant-based meat dishes. Unfortunately, processed means the inclusion of chemicals which again caused dispute among the Vegan movement leaders and supporters, claiming this is not what veganism was about. Therefore, 2024 is foretold to bring a change in this scene, and thus companies are looking forward to making plant-based meals less processed. With vegan influencers leading this change, many people are said to adapt to plant-based alternatives and we will see more innovative dishes made with plant-based food.
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4. India Embracing Korean Food
In 2023, as the obsession with Asian food increased, people were crazy about Korean food establishments. 2023 might only be a start, but 2024 will bring an even bigger boom in India's Korean food scene and possibly all over the world. With Kimchi, ramyun and gochujang becoming a staple in even Indian household kitchens, other Korean foods are also set to make their way into many people's hearts.
5. Low Alcohol Beverages With Tropical Flavours
With artisanal drinks and low-alcohol distilled beverages delighting our glasses in the previous year, this year seems promising for a tropical introduction to the table. Indeed, there has been a 70% increase in searches for the mocktails. Additionally, island-inspired flavours have been coming to the forefront in both cooking and mixology. Things like coconut and pineapple are finding their way into mocktails as well now which combines two major trends we've seen in recent years: the shift away from drinks heavy in alcohol and the desire to enjoy tropical happiness without contributing to global warming.
6. Growing Interest In Buckwheat
With good cause, buckwheat will take centre stage in 2024 after disappearing from view. In addition to being adored for its subtle, nutty taste, buckwheat is also a fantastic source of nutritional fibre, manganese, magnesium, and copper. Furthermore, because buckwheat is not a cereal grain, it's a fantastic substitute for anyone with gluten sensitivity or intolerance. Although this healthy grain is frequently used in Asian cuisine to make soba noodles, it can be used for much more, such as plant-based milk, crackers, and porridge. It will benefit both the environment and us. We will undoubtedly see more buckwheat in the years to come because it improves the health of the soil and helps other crops develop.
7. Rising Usage Of Millets
This year, we will see restaurants including millet on their menus. Restaurants are in a unique position to delve into the depths of regional and local culinary traditions and incorporate them into popular dining establishments. In addition, there will soon be a blending of millets with these local recipes, indicating the growing prominence of millets in the food scene in the coming year.
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The New Year will bring a new change to the global culinary scene and may introduce some of the most revolutionary techniques, ingredients and fusions till date. With the change being a constant, we need to keep embracing them and evolve with them. As new food trends take the spotlight, let's hear up to see what surprises the year has in store.