Foodies rejoice! A new year often results in a tasty new buffet of culinary experiments. Chefs are already predicting the cooking styles and tastes that will trend in 2016. Besides changing up what you dine on, how you dine will also undergo a revolution—from the texture of your coffee to how you’re food is delivered. You can be sure you’ll have a lot on your plate come this year.
African ethnic food will be all the rage in U.S. kitchens and spices like paprika, berbere and a dash of Ethiopian inspiration will be a chef favorite.
What’s are Switchels? Richly flavored colonial era beverages that are making a 21st century comeback as today’s pumpkin spice drinks begin to take a back seat. Blending water, apple cider vinegar, a touch of molasses or syrup, and ginger, these beverages, due to their apple cider vinegar and ginger ingredients, also offer a wealth of health benefits.
“Cultivated” oysters will be all the rage this year because, well, these shellfish are always a favorite seafood cuisine. Due to changing environmental conditions, wild oysters are less common, so cultivated oysters are becoming hot items. Having less of an impact on your wallet, and offering an environmentally friendly cache, oyster farms are quickly becoming abundant harvesting areas, sure to incite a resurgence of raw bars this year.
Hot, new Middle Eastern flavors are going to be found more and more often on the menus of five star restaurants—and could even become popular snacks, too. Chefs are now incorporating many traditional Middle Eastern and unique culinary styles into their repertoire. Why? Because they are low in sugar and high in savory goodness. For instance, Labneh, a type of thick yogurt, can be served with fruits, vegetables, or flatbread and is often mixed with olive oil and spices, making it an easy gourmet treat.
Uber delivers! The popular car service app will soon shift into the culinary industry via food delivery. The company can now make deals with local chefs and artisan food shops that will allot certain days in which Uber drivers can deliver specific dishes—all of these treats can be ordered via the app. This will give local and rising chefs a chance to debut their masterpiece dishes and create some healthy competition among neighborhood chefs.
What about dessert? Pastry chefs and confectioners are pushing past the simply sweet indulgences and adding more in the way of unique flavors into traditional desserts. Expect to see ricotta, miso paste, and cooking techniques including browning make unexpected appearances in ice cream, brownies, and other classic treats.
And the coffee? If you’re getting tired of the same old, same old, this year your cup o’ joe is undergoing a new reinvention process bound to please. What’s new? The “butter brews,” also claimed to boost your cognition and help with weight loss. After work, you’ll be able to enjoy a dry-hop or nitro brew. More creative varieties are forthcoming, along with the new coffee bars beginning to pop up everywhere.
