Each new year surprises us with gastronomic trends that take the foodie staff by storm. If in their day it was cronuts, ceviche, rainbow rolls (yes, yes, multicolored sushi) and the already very distant gin tonics and hamburgers, this season it looks like those trends we are all going to fall for are going to prevail.
1- Specialty coffee.
Goodbye, pitiful roasted coffee that’s rough on your palate; hello, specialty coffee. You are expensive, damn; but you are so very good, you are so delicate and balanced and you bring to such perfection that mixture of sweetness and bitterness that it does not hurt to pay €2 for you. You are from Colombia or Nicaragua, or other coffee producing countries that we don’t know, and you are determined to win the battle against the roasted coffee we’ve been drinking at the bar all our lives. We will fight by your side, comrade.
2- Veganism.
Neither meat nor fish nor eggs nor milk nor honey. This is the bible of veganism, a trend taking over forcefully and seducing even diehard carnivores. There are a thousand reasons to become vegan or slowly introduce veganism into your diet: besides respect for animals and the environment and a commitment to responsible consumption there is the aim to have a more conscious and healthy diet.
3- Raw food.
Or, what amounts to the same, uncooked food. This trend is closely related to veganism, and it’s a commitment to eating foods without cooking them so they retain all the nutrients they lose on the stovetop and in the oven. More and more restaurants offer raw food options and more people are committed to eating without having to cook whenever possible.
4- Single-product restaurants.
The boom has been going on for some time and everything indicates that it will become consolidated and that we will see more establishments specializing in a single product open shop. From ramen to potatoes, sandwiches, pizzas and cheeses, single product shops are going to conquer cities and also our hearts.
5- Alternatives to cow’s milk.
It’s clear that cow’s milk has lost the battle against the plant milks that have taken over the market. More and more people are quitting dairy (not just milk but also cheeses and derivatives) to use nut, oat, soy, rice and other alternative milks that make what a few years ago seemed impossible feasible: living without dairy without hardly noticing.
6- Fermented drinks.
Kombucha, an age-old drink with an acidic and refreshing taste, is the most representative example of the rise of fermented beverages already found in fashionable cafés. It is made from fermented sweet tea and it is a shot of probiotics that is marvelous for your health.
7- Gourmet preserves.
First came the fashion of vermouth, and now appearing in our lives, hopefully to stay, are quality preserves ideal for those apéritifs among friends in which your body asks for high quality products, apart from the typical supermarket preserves.
8- Smoked products.
Salmon, trout and fish in general, but also meats, sausages and, in short, any product that can be smoked by hand. More and more companies specializing in these successful products are emerging, especially in big cities, and they will surely become entrenched in 2018.
9- Alcohol-free cocktails.
And not just cocktails: alcohol-free wines and beers are also taking over among consumers committed to eating an increasingly healthy diet. Because if there is one trend that is taking over and becoming consolidated by leaps and bounds it is this one: the commitment of a good part of the population to a healthy diet.
10- Insects?
They may not become fashionable, but what is true is that thanks to the new food legislation passed by the European Union, the countries of the Eurozone are gradually introducing new laws authorizing the marketing of insects. In Spain this law came into force on 1 January, 2018, and there are already many who are including ants, crickets, grasshoppers and other delicacies in their recipes.
