Sodeli… and what food trends await us in 2024?

Welcome to 2024! And market analysts, media spokespersons, bloggers and food influencers of all stripes promptly tell us which trends will radically change our eating habits.

Maybe.

Because when the Hive Mind of the internet recognizes and names trends, the following applies: they do not occur everywhere. And where they are actually on display, they are received with varying degrees of enthusiasm. But changes in themselves would be welcome, and variation in any case. The following trends are increasingly mentioned for 2024:

As meat alternatives have become ubiquitous, we’re slowly remembering that “plant-based” should mean “plant-based.” The trend should once again be towards burgers and the like that are clearly made from vegetables, mushrooms or nuts, rather than from vague soy protein cultures and the like. Why imitate the supposed taste of meat when vegetables are so delicious? Ikea has been doing this for a long time with their vegetarian dogs.

Look, the poster says ‘Europe’s first Philippine ice cream shop’. The photo was taken in London in 2022. If you can believe the trend research, the above claim is no longer correct, because… Ubethe tasty root vegetable from the Philippines with which you can prepare various delicious desserts can be found everywhere (or: everywhereuberall. Haha). And yes, last but not least, this is probably due to the bright purple color, which – let’s be honest – is perfect for Insta and TikTok and Co.

Ube is just one example of a broader trend: more and more Asian ingredients are becoming the norm. Innovative fusion food restaurants, for example, where Mediterranean dishes are combined with ingredients from the Far East. Just like in the snack segment: donuts Milk tea-Filling, black sesame cookies and associates. And last but not least: at home, where miso paste or gochujang is increasingly stocked in the refrigerator.

This trend is also due to Asian influence: North American sales statistics have shown a continuous increase in spicy foods for years. This also seems to be confirmed in Europe. In the snacks segment you see more and more snacks with the label ‘Hotter Than Hell’ or ‘Inferno’; The range of fresh peppers in the local supermarket is constantly expanding, as is the range of Mexican hot sauces. The combination of sweet and spicy flavors (chocolate with chili, honey with chili, etc.) also appears to be becoming increasingly popular. Or to put it another way: those who have long been ridiculed white people With their mild food they are slowly but surely adapting to the global spiciness standard.

Immediately after the pandemic, a trend became noticeable for the first time: away from lighter cocktails with a lot of fizz and towards fizz great classics with a strong alcohol content. Drinks that you like to drink slowly and enjoy in peace: Negroni. Old fashioned. And above all: Dry Martini. Gin, a little vermouth, maybe a drop of bitter… Sometimes less is more.

Just… not quite. The current trend is clearly towards variations and adaptations: Dirty Martini. Pickleback Martini. Espresso Martini and Pornstar Martini. And the latest variant sounds like… – well – the main meal.

Or as Time Magazine puts it: Dinner with a drink. Thanks to infusion methods such as ‘fatwashing’ or ‘clarification’, cocktails – especially martinis – are increasingly getting an umami flavor: Parmesan cheese, fried bacon, olive oil, Southern Fried Chicken – cheers!

«What is old is new. If you know it, you know it.” Yes, logo: Food is and has always been emotional. Large meatloaf tastes the best. It goes without saying that nostalgia has a permanent place in food preferences. And this year the menus are out the 90s that will make a comeback. That’s what they say, at least. In the US this is noticeable in the form of new editions of 90s breakfast cereals – probably because the kids of the 90s now have children of their own and this as a welcome excuse to once again enjoy the delicacies of their own childhood. Will this trend continue in this country? The culinary nineties in our latitudes were arugula, olive bread, salmon spaghetti and Carazza, the pocket pizza. But that’s basically it all still.

Okay, in the end this is all speculation. But one question remains interesting:

The comment column is open to you!