Top Food Trends for 2018

For people who love food, 2018 promises to delight the palette. 2017 saw a significant shift to plant-based dishes, and this movement continues in 2018, with a few twists. While we all love kombucha and eating Buddha bowls, the upcoming year will draw on more adventurous and open palates. Tastemakers want to help us explore some new flavors and textures that take the palette in a new direction. Want to keep your plate up to date? Get ready to upgrade your recipes and keep reading to be on the cutting edge of the top food trends the moment the new year rolls around.

Mushrooms

Fungi are about to have a major moment in the food world. Dried, fresh, or powdered, mushrooms are being enjoyed in a whole new way. For starters, there is mushroom coffee. A response to the call for clean eating options for those who are eating more naturally, the drink is a combination of Arabica coffee beans and dried mushrooms crushed into a powder. The drink purports itself to be a great alternative, as it gives the energy of coffee without the jitters or acid burn of straight coffee. Mushrooms have a nice, earthy taste and a lot of health benefits, according to those who love their new, fungus-filled coffee. Presented as immunity boosters, enhancements for sexual health, and an excellent additive for weight loss, mushrooms have found themselves in all new packages and sections of the grocery store. Want to try the new drink first thing in the morning? You can buy single-serving pods for your machine or packets of powder to add to your cup. An espresso-style mushroom shot is also available. The flavor is mild and blends with the taste of coffee without any heavy sweeteners. It also goes great with plant-based milk like almond or hemp. The varieties landing in coffee cups are Lions Mane, a large, furry-looking fungus that resembles a cushion in its natural state, or cordyceps, a fungus that resembles small fronds. Both are native to China and have long lists of traditional uses, including healing a upset stomach and helping manage diabetes. For anyone who isn't keen on drinking dried mushrooms in their coffee, pure mushroom powders can be used as an additive to soups or sauces.

A Return to Bread

A lot of us gave up bread over the past couple of years, but the fierce reaction to gluten-heavy foods has made a lot of bakeries look for newer, more wholesome recipes. They want to bring customers back with healthy options that consider plant-based diets, more protein, or simply better transparency with their bread. Ezekiel bread is an excellent example since it's free from eggs, milk, or butter. It also includes sprouted grains and legumes to add protein to the standard bread recipe. It gained some traction when people found it more filling than white bread. Its complex taste and texture added to the trend, and many found themselves converting to this delicious bread for their toast or sandwich. It is also low in calories and free from preservatives, which is why you will find it in the freezer section. Low in gluten, sweet potato bread is free of white flour and comes together quickly in a mixing bowl. It has a lighter, sweeter taste, thanks to the tuber. Normally preserved and sweetened with a lot of sugars, most healthier breads contain lots of calories. Consumers are calling for sugar-free options and healthier versions for their favorite piece of toast. Bakeries are exploring old world grains like rye to add texture to their bread. Sourdough starters are enjoying a renewed popularity, which means whole wheat sourdough could make an appearance at your favorite bakery soon.

Flowers and Floral Flavors

Get ready to taste tiny blossoms in every kind of food this upcoming year. Mixologists have long used flower essence for many famous cocktails. Now, flowers will be included in drinks, desserts, and a lot of salads. They add their unique textures as well as fun flavors to any dish, and they look quite fancy. They also add a lot of color as well as a delicate texture to food. Get creative and try them a lot of different ways. Stuff squash blossoms with cheese if you want to get some inspiration from the more traditional European preparation. Elevate it with goat cheese to make it more modern. Go sweet by adding sugared flowers to different desserts or feature the floral taste with small sweets. Violet macarons are a celebration of all things beautiful with a twist on the delicious, traditional cookie. Want to keep it healthy? You can try this beautiful, vegan Flower Power Cake that incorporates pomegranate seeds, raspberries, natural sweeteners, and a hint of lemon in its vegan recipe. The top is covered in flower petals to give it a distinctive visual appeal. Flowers are even finding a home at the cocktail bar. White wine can be infused with chamomile for a twist on an old favorite. Drop a hibiscus blossom in the bottom of a champagne flute, then fill it with a bubbly of your choice. The red flower will open and stay seated at the bottom to add a whole new level of elegance to your drink and wow any guests.

Tech-Enhanced Plants

Plant-based diets are gaining a lot of ground these days. People want to lose weight and feel more energetic, so they are searching for vegetarian and vegan alternatives to add to their diet. As a result, chefs and scientists are finding great new ways to replace animal-based foods like burgers or sashimi. A lot of this has come from recent revelations about different industries, such as the fishing business. Some restaurants are seeking substitutions for high-priced proteins, which is leading them to introduce more vegetables. Tuna is a popular, but expensive fish. However, vegetarians have come up with an interesting solution––a spiced tomato that looks and tastes a lot like the raw version of tuna. This recipe takes blanched tomatoes and a marinade to make an affordable, fish-free sushi everyone will love. All you need is a knife with a high-quality blade to cut the tomato up into a tuna-like texture. Another huge news story was the creation of meat from plants—a product so exciting that actor Leonardo Di Caprio and Bill Gates have made public statements in support it. Known as Beyond Meat, it is high in protein and to have a traditional, meaty taste that any beef lover will enjoy.    All this is drawing on the success of products like almond milk in the mainstream market. We will likely see more animal-free fare in our stores as consumers demand more plant-based foods.

Transparency and Knowledge

Back in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the decision to put calorie information on menus to help consumers make informed choices when they eat out. The move coincided with the Affordable Care Act, meant to combat obesity. However, it was delayed until 2017, and then again for an extra year because restaurants feared a calorie count next to their dishes would prevent customers from buying their products. 2018 will see a more transparent food industry. The craft and artisanal food movement have given shoppers a chance to interact with their food purveyors in new ways. Farmers markets offer shoppers an opportunity to talk to those who grow their vegetables and harvest their fruit. Even shopping in the grocery store will change, thanks to new smartphone applications. Consumers can find which vegetables use the most pesticides and when an organic alternative is the best option with great new apps like Dirty Dozen or Ocean Hugger. They let shoppers scan a food label on a piece of produce to find harvesting information and give feedback directly to the food producer. One app, Love Food Hate Waste, even helps shoppers avoid over-buying and finds recipes to use what's already in their kitchen.

Puffy Snacks

We have been popping corn for a long time, but now many food companies are offering popped grains of all kinds to mix up the options between meals. Amaranth, a high protein seed that looks and acts more like a grain, is gluten-free and a great alternative to crackers or bread. It has a small amount of water inside each seed, and this can be converted to steam to pop the grain in a hot pan without any effort. It doesn't require any oil or extra ingredients; all you need to make it is a hot pan with a heavy bottom. Other grains that can be dry popped are quinoa and sorghum. Get the pan extra hot, almost smoking, then add the grains to cover the bottom of the pan and shake it. The shaking agitates the grains and encourages them to pop. By skipping the oil, you end up with popped grains that store well and don't clump. Popcorn may not taste great after the first day, but popped amaranth or quinoa will keep for a long time. Add the grains to salads, granola or baked goods for new textures and added protein.

Root to Stem Recipes

A new drive to waste as little as possible has a lot of cooks rethinking how they use scraps, peels, and stems. For example, the idea of keeping vegetable peels in the freezer and then using them for a fresh vegetable broth is a great, cheap, and healthy alternative to the canned option. Beet greens are excellent sautéed with garlic. Carrot greens don't have to go into the garbage. They can be steamed and served as a side or incorporated into a fresh new pesto.   Shoppers are zesting their citrus peels to store in the freezer or candy them to add to holiday desserts for more color and bite. With less food waste in the garbage, cooks can feel better about putting their money to better use and taking full advantage of what they buy. Broccoli and cauliflower leaves are also usable. They can be dehydrated into chips or sautéed like kale. Broccoli stems can also be peeled and then chopped up for stir-fries or added to smoothies for an extra touch of green. Dandelion greens are delicious with eggs, and radish greens can also be used in sauces or sautés. Stems are also finding new homes in pickle jars or soups. The stems of herbs have the same flavor in them as the leaves, so don't toss those rosemary or thyme leftovers. Save them for your next pot of delicious soup to round out the flavor. Little green shoots from a bulb of garlic are great in a stir-fry, as are onion greens. The next time you chop up swiss chard, save the stems for some unique and beautiful pickles. They are ready in a few days and go great with meat dishes, like chopped and sprinkled on top of a taco. Potato peels can be baked on a cooking sheet for a quick snack. Apple peel makes a great jelly or can be repurposed into apple vinegar along with leftover cores. The biggest trend for 2018 is to look at food in a new way. Customers will always want something new, prepared creatively and healthfully. Once they see food presented in a different way, they’ll feel inspired to incorporated these new dishes in the home kitchen, and they may attribute them directly to you. Grab some quality tools of the trade and explore these new food trends today!