Developments in technology, climate and the ever-changing digital landscape constantly force our food preferences to evolve. With this come trends like poke and fads like crazy milkshakes. This past year, we saw a ton of veggie focused restaurants pop-up paired with the introduction of genetically modified meats on both a retail and wholesale level. Looking ahead, we can expect coconut to emerge as the hottest superfood, an influx of Nordic fare and a lot more cauliflower. Okay, I’m not giving anything else away! Read about some of my predictions for 2017 here:
More Veggies Where That Came From:
Cauliflower at Nix. Photo: @nytfoodSpeaking of vegetables, it’s clear that this obsession isn’t going anywhere. We saw a lot of unique vegetarian entrées this year as chefs experimented with whole roasting, dehydrating and pickling vegetables for different flavor notes. With the decline of kale — finally — it looks like cauliflower is merging as the next big veggie of 2017. Key indicators include hot dishes like the Cauliflower Buns at Nix, Colonel Tso’s Cauliflower at Babu Ji and the Cauliflower Cous Cous at Two Hands Restaurant & Bar, to name a few.
Faux foods
Impossible Burger at Momofuku Nishi. Photo: @impossiblefoodsThe over-saturated delivery market aside, tech made huge waves in the food space this year, particularly in terms of the production of food. David Chang was the first to take the plunge in the restaurant space with the “Impossible Burger” at Momofuku Nishi, a genetically modified burger that bleeds yet contains no meat. Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are two companies we can expect to hear more from in 2017, especially as big Fortune 500 companies begin to invest.
Coco for Coconuts: The Next Big Superfood
Black Ash Ice Cream at Morgentern’s. Photo: @michellehtarAçaí, quinoa, kombucha, matcha and coconut; all superfoods that have dominated the health food scene, with coconut quickly rising to the top. Coconut beverages have been around for awhile, but we’ve increasingly seen coconut being used as both a cooking substitute and snacking item: dried coconut chips, coconut milk, coconut flour and coconut ice cream to name a few. In the restaurant space, we’ve already begun to see unique combinations like coconut ash ice cream and vegan coconut bread and pastries.
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