Food trends come and go like pop songs on a music chart. There’s already some recent food favorites, I’m ready to toss. I’m weary of kale chips, pork belly, and boutique cupcakes. While heirloom tomatoes are tasty, they’re too expensive to buy and too finicky to grow.
I’ve made my peace with whole grain and fiber; it’s here to stay. I’m willing to keep quinoa and flax seed on my pantry shelf. Same for pomegranate-infused foods that have ridden a wave of popularity in recent years and for good reason: pomegranate has more antioxidants than any other fruit.
Happily, tea, especially green tea, has made a rousing comeback that is likely to remain and it appears the gluten-free craze has gone mainstream. I’ve also embraced blueberries, a fruit that has been wrapped into everything from breakfast cereal to mojitos. But I not sure why we need blue potatoes or purple carrots.
Who’s to say if our obsession with soy and fermented vegetables will continue. It could be that edamame, soy milk, tofu, and miso will simply fade away like old soldiers. Remember…there came a time when we tired of eating melted cheese at home, stuffed the fondue pot in an overhead cabinet, and went out for kimchee.
Speaking of Asian cuisine, did you read that Taco Bell is now trying to take the bahn mi, a Vietnamese baguette stuffed with meat and vegetables, and move it onto their Mexican menu? Might work. St. Louis’ Seoul Taco has tried Mexican-Asian fusion with apparent success both in a food truck and their restaurant in the Loop.
Upscale coffee and yogurt shops have positioned themselves well in the market, though I can’t say the same for gourmet pretzels, ramen burgers, and cronuts.
We all get caught up in food fads to some extent. I looked in my kitchen cabinet and saw that I had succumed to grapeseed and hazelnut oils, fig balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika (though for the life of me I can’t remember why), and Herbes de Provence with Lavender, that I was convinced would make any dish taste like it was prepared by Julia Child.
As new food combinations continue to titilate our tastes, some fads will meet the test of time; others won’t. I’m predicting that Maple Bacon Donuts and Seaweed Pringles will go the way of the Blackberry.
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