food trends

1. Food Trends
Chef Ashokkumar

2. Every year we look forward to putting something new on our plate. It
is no different as we set sail on a culinary journey .Traditional
ingredients are being rehashed and flowers are replacing Indian
spices. There is a growing interest in Vietnamese and Teppanyaki
food as newer experiences becomes the name of the game. Find
out what will keep you hungry for more.

3. Flowers vs spice
“You would want to go to work after having biryani for lunch. The
focus is on making Indian food lighter. Traditionally biryani was
cooked with 35 ingredients but now you have simpler versions such
as coriander-spiced biryani,”
flowers are replacing traditional spices to lend aroma to food. You
can soak aromatic flowers in water and use it to cook food. You can
also use a small amount of jasmine tea water to make jasmine-
flavoured rice.

4. Indian cuisine, fusion confusion
While a continuous curiosity to try new food has created fusion
variations, the downside is authentic Indian is on its way out. we are
stepping away from the traditional Indian fare due to globalisation and
restaurants’ relentless focus on profits given their time and resource
constraints. There was a certain degree of craftsmanship that went
into preparing Indian food that would begin with a prayer, grinding
fresh spices and slow cooking. We are losing out on this refined
Indian food culture and therefore taking a step back when it comes to
authentic desi cuisines.

5. Shopping for your groceries
As locally sourced vegetables and fruits become the norm, there is
no looking beyond your neighbourhood

6. Natural ingredients/minimally processed food
Chefs see a continuing trend of guests looking for food that hasn’t
had much done to it — that’s been grown with minimal pesticides,
fertilizers and antibiotics, and that hasn’t had much added to it after
harvest

7. Healthful kids’ menus
Helping young people eat better is a national concern, and chefs see
that trend continuing with items such as the grilled chicken strips
paired with unsweetened applesauce

8. New cuts of meat
Rising commodity prices, particularly for beef, and a general sense of
culinary adventure, are opening the door in terms of both supply and
demand for relatively new or less frequently utilized cuts of meat, such
as the teres major, or shoulder tender, pictured here.

9. Hyper-local sourcing
Herb walls in restaurants, rooftop beehives and farms owned by the
restaurants themselves, or by their neighbors, have all become
sources for ingredients in restaurants, and that’s something chefs
expect to continue in the coming year

10. Locally grown produce
Local fruits and vegetables resonate with customers and speak to
seasonality like nothing else, which is one reason why salad chain
Sweetgreen highlighted local radishes in the Roasted Salmon + Radish
dish it promoted this spring, which also included organic arugula and
kale, beets and carrots in a mustard-oregano vinaigrette.

11. Sustainable seafood
Concerns over safeguarding the planet have gone mainstream, and
that means striving for sustainable seafood, such as this keta salmon
from Alaska, whose state constitution requires that sustainable fishing
practices be followed.

12. Housemade/artisan ice cream
Small touches can go a long way. Making ice cream in-house or
having it custom-made for your restaurant is a trend chefs see
continuing into 2016

13. Fresh/housemade sausage
Housemade charcuterie keeps culinary tradition alive and can give
chefs added credibility among their guests and peers. Curing whole
hog legs for prosciutto or other ham can be costly and time consuming,
but the cost of entry for housemade sausage is considerably lower.

14. Housemade/artisanal pickles
Little touches that highlight attention to detail appeal to many
restaurant-goers these days. That’s illustrated by the trend toward
pickles that are either made in house or sourced from small-batch
producers.

15. Ancient grains
As part of a trend away from food perceived as excessively “processed,”
many consumers are looking for food made the way our ancestors ate it.
Hence the term “ancient grains,” which can mean anything from
amaranth to teff to quinoa to millet to varieties of wheat, corn or rice that
are not seen as commodities. Starbucks’ Ancient Grain Flatbread, seen
here in its Chicken Santa Fe Panini, is made mostly of organic
Khorasan wheat.

16. Authentic ethnic cuisine
Telling guests where food comes from physically — such as from a
local farm or small-scale producer — is one approach to helping them
feel connected with their food. Another is telling them the origins of the
dish itself. Serving creations with origins in distant lands helps guests
go on an adventure without leaving town. So does serving food that
springs from the local community,

17. Farm/estate branded items
A sign of growing interest by many consumers about where their food
comes from, many restaurants are now stating on their menus which
local producers are supplying them.

18. Thank You