For Anyone Who Likes to Eat — What’s Coming in 2018

Trying to predict the future is always difficult, but I’ve run across an interesting article entitled ” Foods of the Future: 7 Trends to Watch in 2018″ by Elyssa Goodman.

Like everything else, food trends tend to be faddish, so it’ll be interesting to see which of these go mainstream.  For what it’s worth, Goodman’s seven trends are —

Plant-based protein — Vegetables like chickpeas, broccoli rabe, and portobello mushrooms will become more popular as being better for both health and environmental reasons.

Farm-to-table menus — People are becoming more interested in where their food comes from, so a farm-to-table label will be increasingly sought after.

Gut-healthy food — The food industry is becoming more aware of research showing “gut health” helps brain function and disease prevention, so expect more interest in fermented foods like sauerkraut, and cultured foods, like yogurt with probiotics.

Arctic cuisine — Foods from the far north and south, like Scandinavia, match nicely with plant proteins, gut health, and seasonal cooking.  And seafood is healthier than meat anyway.

Communal table dining — For restaurants looking to maximize dining space, as well as people who don’t mind eating with strangers, communal dining is an attractive option.

Cowboy cooking — If you like setting things on fire, try what some call “cowboy cooking” — charring, smoking, live fire, etc.

And finally, Comfort food… and dessert — Seemingly at odds with everything I’ve just listed, there is still a lot of interest in old-fashioned American cooking, especially from the Appalachian and Ozark regions.  So dishes like cornbread, hush puppies, and regional barbecue should be even more popular.  And then there is always dessert.  Supplementing our traditional comfort desserts will be some foreign specialties, like French eclairs.

Are these trends really in our future?  I’m not so sure about cowboy cooking, but otherwise 2018 sounds like a memorable culinary year.

The complete article is at  https://www.chase.com/news/121117-food-trends-2018.  The photo (which was not identified) came from that website.