By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell
Source for content and photos: Food Business News
It’s a new year and everyone likes to eat, so let’s take a look at emerging culinary trends for 2017.
Here’s an excerpted edition of the article, “Ten cutting-edge food trends for 2017” by Monica Watrous. The predictions are courtesy of Liz Moskow, culinary director at ad agency Sterling-Rice Group of Colorado. Sterling-Rice specializes in the food industry.
1. Food waste frenzy: Consumers and companies alike are creatively reducing food waste by repurposing typically tossed-out stems, skins and rinds.
“This is driven by millennials’ desire to make the earth a better place,” Ms. Moskow said. “They’re finding ways to repurpose and use things that would ordinarily be discarded. For example, watermelon rinds being made into pickles, or making cauliflower rice using the stem, something that ordinarily would end up in the garbage.”
A company called Forager Project has identified a use for the wasted pulp from production of cold-pressed juices — by manufacturing organic tortilla chips containing the nutritious byproduct.
Curious about how you can repurpose all the parts of a head of cauliflower while dazzling your family with your cooking prowess? Check out Positive Healthwellness for “9 Mashed Cauliflower Recipes with a Twist Your Children Will Love.”
2. Plant butchery: Chickpeas, corn, legumes and fungi are standing in for steaks in an emerging crop of butcher shops with products designed to appeal to vegans and carnivores alike.
“Plant butchery really focuses in on the fact that meat eaters are exploring plant-based options,” Ms. Moskow said. “There are actually places popping up that are catering to this plant-based-curious group of people who don’t want to eliminate meat from their diet but might want to eat it less often.”
3. Dosha Dining: The remarkable rise of turmeric as a trending ingredient in recent years has become a gateway to American exploration of Ayurveda.
“Indians believe in the concept of dosha, which is another word for your body’s set constitution,” Ms. Moskow said. “Turmeric has really been picking up steam and trending over the past couple years. People have widely accepted turmeric is this magic food. And that’s really the holy grail of Ayurveda; for every dosha, turmeric is a good balancing additive for food.”
4. Mocktail mixology: Mocktails are getting a modern makeover, with such offerings featuring fresh-pressed juices, flavored teas, sipping vinegars and muddled herbs and spices.
“People watch mixologists muddle herbs, and it feels like a special treat rather than ordering a ginger ale or club soda,” Ms. Moskow said. “And so we feel restaurants are going to start offering more robust menus — not just one or two little things on the side of their drink menu…
5. Cook and connect: Likened to businesses like Uber and Airbnb, a new app and web site called EatWith connects home cooks with hungry strangers.
“This is really all about people craving interaction in an increasingly disconnected world,” Ms. Moskow said. “Food to me has always been a way to bring people together. (The concept of EatWith) is definitely a more personalized version of a food hall, a more one-on-one experience where you can meet the person in their home when they cook you dinner.”
What food trends are you predicting for 2017? What do you think of the “Cook and Connect” trend? What do you think of all five trends listed here? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and Happy New Year!
♥,
Tobi
PS: Food is important to your good health. And so is exercise. Click here for a Free 14-Day Club Pass from the Cherry Hill Health and Racquet Club.