We get pretty excited at the beginning of new years and new seasons to see what folks have predicted will be the new, trendy whatevers, be it clothing, jewelry, technology, and most importantly, food. Yes, our trend loyalty lies with food. And after a food trend brought us our beloved avocado toast, we must say, we’re down to try anything once. Let’s take a look at what we can expect to see across restaurants, grocery stores, and in our own kitchens over the next year!
Mocktails
(image via: aleka’s get together)
The idea of mocktails isn’t new, but the hype? A whole new vibe going into 2022. With people becoming more and more health-conscious, mocktails are going to be the next big thing. Restaurants will be offering extended mocktail menus, and we can’t wait to give them a shot at home. The beauty? The artistry behind mixing a nice drink is still there, just sans alcohol. So keep the bar cart, stay extra with those garnishes, buy the antique glasses, and get creative!
Sparkling Water
We are longtime fans of the sparkling water trend, and we’re happy to see that it’s not going anywhere; in fact, it’s just getting better! Well, better for us, at least. Expect to see sparkling water containing more and more functional ingredients such as probiotics, botanicals, and more.
Portion Control
(image via: the teal mango)
This is more of a restaurant trend we can plan on seeing more of in the coming year, one that we are happy to see in fact! Again, as folks are becoming more and more health-conscious, restaurants are following suit and will be offering smaller portions. Most of us around here aren’t great with leftovers, so we end up feeling obligated to eat as much as possible when we go out, and as we know, this is a vicious cycle, so smaller portions are fine by us. Smaller portions are also great for restaurants that continue to struggle amid the pandemic.
Eating at Home | Intimate Dining Out
While we may not realize it day to day, the pandemic has truly changed a lot of our overall experience(s) and the way we eat has been greatly affected. While a lot of us have ventured out more and more, it’s predicted that a lot of people will still opt to prepare food at home in the coming year; that being said, even as we venture out, people are looking for more intimate dining experiences due to one, limited dining capacity for the last (almost) two years, as well as the want to go out versus the want to remain healthy, which means keeping distance from others.
International Flavor
(image via: the spruce eats)
Social media can be used for good sometimes and in this case, we mean shining light on international cuisine that a lot of us would have never known about. And the best part? Not only do we have these recipes at our fingertips, but we have access to ingredients that may be hard to find in our own neck of the woods.