Like just about every other area of culture, food trends come and go with the years. What was hot one year can be obsolete a few year later – after all, when’s the last time you waited in line for cronuts? Since Colorado culinary school and online culinary school students like to stay ahead of the curve, it’s important that they know what to expect in terms of trends, especially if they plan to open their own restaurant upon graduation. Here are some of the trends predicted for the coming year:
Classic pizza
Bon Appetit speculates that the artisan styles of pizza are on their way out, and the greasy American pizzas reminiscent of our childhood will be next hot thing. They even suspect the vibe of the pizza places will be changing in the coming year, opting for a more classic aesthetic. While your favorite brick oven pizzeria in the hip neighborhood might not go out of business with this trend taking over, it very well might become easier to find a relaxing pizza place to sit down with friends and family and enjoy an affordable pie.
“These beers have a tart flavor.”
Sour beer
BuzzFeed suspects that sour beer, like lambics and goses will be experiencing a renaissance in the coming year. While this style of beer has been around for centuries, it tends to be more of an acquired taste than most other craft beers due to the fact that they’re so acidic. These beers are typically brewed with wild yeast strains or bacteria, allowing them to take on a tart flavor. Michigan’s popular Jolly Pumpkin specializes in sour brews and will be expanding its reach to Illinois this year.
’70s-style food
According to the Telegraph, it isn’t just flared jeans and the boho style that are coming back – ‘70s-style food is about to be hip again this year. The Telegraph says that this could be because so many people who are becoming head chefs grew up in this decade. A few popular dishes from the 1970s include sweet cocktails like snowballs and pina coladas, fondue, deviled eggs and anything made in a bundt cake pan. As long as it’s not savory gelatin, this trend is fine with us!
Street food inspiration
While street food like tacos and shawarma may have been hip the past couple of years, foodie culture has grabbed to the charm of these cheap street cart staples and has begun working them into full-sized meals in restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. While getting bigger portions of these foods is certainly exciting, we can’t help but wonder if these “gourmet” versions will be as satisfying. Time will tell!
Street food is making its way into restaurant cuisine.Sustainability
Each year, the public becomes more and more aware of the impact our habits have on the planet. This could be why Forbes reported that sustainability will become an even bigger food movement this year than it has been before. Sustainable foods are considered “green,” not depleting natural resources or harming the environment. While some may not think this is a big deal just yet, Business Insider also reported that foods from coffee beans and chocolate to oysters and lobsters could become scarce as the planet continues to heat up.
Insects
To many people, it may seem pretty wild to choose to eat insects, but BBC Good Food says that it’s a real possibility in the year 2017. This is due to the fact bugs like grasshoppers or crickets are high in protein and eating them is a more sustainable method than traditional farming. Whether this comes in the form of roasted insects or having them baked into things like granola bars, this trend isn’t for the faint of heart!
