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A look back at the food trends of 2021
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Tuesday, 14 December, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Chef Veena
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It’s certain that there’s no going back. Moving forward, we will always talk about life before and after the outbreak of the pandemic. Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has dramatically upended each and every sector due to stay-at-home orders and several other restrictions, and the food industry is no exception.
However, one thing is for sure, if the global health crisis brought numerous challenges, it did bring some chances of a lifetime as well. Look back at the lockdown period, and you’ll witness social media as proof enough of how experimenting with food became one of the most prominent household activities. Ever since then, an abundance of food trends has emerged.
Now that 2021 has nearly come to an end, let’s look back at some of the most notable ones of the year:
In-tune with immune
Although people have been looking at healthier eating practices much before the pandemic entered our lives; the onset of it, indeed, accelerated the process. It made people forego junk to a definite level and plant-based items continued to be a fad.
According to a survey report by International Food Information Council, approximately 28 per cent of the respondents said that they have been eating more protein from plant sources amid the pandemic. Thus, it would be appropriate to say that the cravings were being satiated by equally delectable yet healthier alternatives, owing to the growing concerns over mental and physical well-being, not to mention the environmental impact.
Many gave up animal products completely in order to live a healthier and more environmentally responsible lifestyle. As per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, plant-based diets are suitable for people of all ages and stages of life. Additionally, the number of plant-based options available made the transition easier than ever.
Fusion cuisine
Due to the devastating second wave of the pandemic, travel appeared to be impossible this year, therefore, food became the gateway for the exotic. Fusion cuisine emerged as a new food trend in 2021 as a result of unrestricted access to traditional cuisines. Despite the fact that the concept is not new, food today never saw such creativity and invention. The internet-enabled unusual fusions such as Indian-American, Italian-American, Mexican-Korean, so on and so forth, by the virtue of trendy recipes and instructions.
Mindful nutrition
This year, there was a greater emphasis on abandoning fad diets and adopting mindful eating. People opted for whole-grain carbohydrates, such as brown rice and quinoa as they provide essential nutrients and a slow-burning form of energy. Instead of avoiding or fearing carbs, mindful eating encouraged people to appreciate them. Fad diets are appealing because they promise quick and easy results, however, the truth is that they are often restrictive and difficult to stick to. Ditching this diet mentality has acquired a lot of traction. Rather than eliminating favorite food items, people learned to include them into their diet in a healthy way.
Low-waste
People were more aware than ever of making eco-conscious purchase decisions as concerns about climate change are growing immensely. Of course, this has spilled over into the food scene, making low- or zero-waste one of the major culinary trends for 2021. Going low-waste with food meant minimising superfluous packaging, particularly plastic, and repurposing food scraps that may have otherwise gone to waste.
For instance- carrots, potatoes, apples, peaches, and many more fruits and vegetables are peeled when they don’t need to be. However, 2021 saw people committed to zero waste cooking as well as peeling the food, be it for texture or to achieve the desired color of the finished meal. They just made sure to scrub the fruit or vegetable before peeling it. Potato peels were baked into crispy chips, apples were dehydrated into a sweet snack, and cucumber peels were chopped to make tzatziki sauce.
Furthermore, people didn’t throw away celery leaves, carrot fronds, or fennel fronds. Instead, they used them in salads, soups, risottos, and other dishes like parsley. Carrot tops and parsley leaves were used to provide zing to pesto.
Focus on comfort food
‘Comfort and simplicity’ were trending. This is because of the worldwide health crisis, which caused everyone to seek a sense of normalcy. People were running towards comfort food - anything that reminded them of what it used to be like. These comfort foods crossed all continents as people searched for a variety of options, be it classic pizzas, burgers without a bunch of crazy toppings, real tacos, mac and cheese, and more.
The bottom line
This year’s dining out experience was not as warm as previous years. Simple cooking and eating were preferred over buffets, elaborate dinners, and shared platters. Right from being safety a priority to a sea change in people’s choices, 2021 as a year felt the winds of change in the industry.
(The author is founder at Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts)
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