Trend Forecast: food trend predictions for 2016

The Staff Canteen

Editor 29th December 2015
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Kale was declared the ultimate superfood, juicing was the latest health kick and diners were ordering off menu, but as 2015 comes to a close what are the food trend predictions for2016?

We took to Facebook and Twitter to find out what you think will be big for 2016 and what trends you can't wait to disappear.

Many agree that salmon will be the ideal fish of choice for 2016. Twitter user, @LoveFishnchips2go, said: "Salmon will be the must have fish this Christmas and into 2016."

Whilst the people at @proknifesharp, said: "After experiencing smoked salmon and grapefruit at Manchester House we believe this combination will be included in everyone's five a day."

Due to the increased popularity of food shows such as MasterChef: The Professionals and the Great British Bake Off in recent years, chefs have been plating up more unusual dishes with unique flavour combinations but are they about to run their 'course'?

On what will be big next year, @chefpwaring said: "Well let's hope it's not honeycomb on main courses because it just doesn't go and it's not right." It's not just experimental food dishes, techniques such as sous vide could also be out as chefs return to more traditional ways of cooking.

@Hugh6303 said: "I think chefs will revert back to classic methods of cooking without all this sous-vide, retaining nutrition and clean flavours."

While AllisonWalker8 said she wasn't too keen on the way the method made her food taste, "sous-vide fish, I really don't like what it does to the texture."

>>> Read: Cooking sous vide: good or bad for the industry?

 

Although most trends are always just going to be fads, food trending companies such as the global food trendspotting company, TheFoodPeople, are at the helm of predicting all the latest trends using their knowledge and expertise.

TheFoodPeople have recently compiled a comprehensive list of food and drink they believe will be popular throughout 2016. From bowl based foods and Filipino cuisine to non-alcoholic drinks and scorched salads, here are just some of their predictions to whet your appetite for what's in store for the next 12 months.

Sophisticated non alcoholic beverages: fewer consumers are drinking alcohol and even those who are, are more conscious with their approach to drinking. It is no longer considered acceptable for non-alcoholic offerings to purely be soda’s – consumers are health conscious and seeking variety in the non alcoholic drinks arena.

Bowl foods: From globalised ramen to acai smoothie bowls - comforting, informal portion controlled bowls of healthy goodness, that can be eaten on the go and flexibly tailored to personal dietary requirements as well as being beautifully presented. Even plates are now bowls.

Mexican: Traditional Mexican cuisine is capturing the imagination of top chefs around the world as they stick to authenticity or add a splash of Mexican inspiration into their dishes.

Souping is the new juicing: Consumers love of juices is going one step further as they seek more texture and fiber from their fruits & veggies. From sipping on bone broths to gazpacho’s, souping has high nutritional value with detoxifying benefits plus it is a bit more filling.

Black’s the new Black: not only as a varietal colour in the vegetable world but salad and vegetables blackened over fire, scorched bread and pizza, squid ink colouring, activated charcoal drink and black rice – its all black!

Filipino cuisine: the rise of the Filipino cuisine influence. With its many influences—Malaysian, Polynesian, Hispanic, Chinese, American—the variety of flavors and techniques that you find in Filipino cooking is exceptionally rich. The results can be spicy, sweet, or bracingly tart—or all of the above in one mouthful.

You can view their full list of predictions for the next two years as well as previous year's predictions over on their website, www.thefoodpeople.co.uk

Tell us what trends you're looking forward to and why in 2016 and what ones you can't wait to be done with in the comments below or by tweeting us @canteentweets.

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