The new year is a time for new beginnings and for foodies, that means new food trends will be brought to the forefront.
Asian food will be big in 2012. New York City-based consultants Baum+Whiteman International predict that Korean food will become popular among Americans this year. However, Epicurious.com believes Korean is “so 2011” and that high-end Indian food will reign instead.
Andrew Freeman, hospitality consultant, also is predicting that Indian food will become mainstream. Freeman and the James Beard Foundation are both predicting that Thai cuisine will see a revival in 2012. The Huffington Post Blog is predicting that fast-casual Asian restaurants will be trendy this year. Shophouse Asian Kitchen, a Southeast Asian takeout Chipotle spinoff in Washington, D.C., which opened to rave reviews in September 2011, and Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches continuing to appear on more national chain menus, are evidence of this developing trend.
It seems that food will be more creative and maybe even a little weird in 2012. For example, according to Baum+Whiteman, we should expect to see the “whole world on a plate.” This could include things like pizza topped with humus and wasabi peas or hamburger-filled sushi. Sandwiches will be a big focus for this trend since you can put virtually anything between two slices of bread. Another predicted trend is to use something other than bread for sandwiches, such as arepas (a corn-meal patty), waffles or rice cakes. Other trends to expect include the use of innards — such as tongue and gizzards, pickling, beer gardens and the rise of Peruvian food.
Baum+Whiteman, JBF and chef blogger Samantha Gowing all predict that small bites will be popular in 2012.
According to JBF, fine dining portions are getting smaller, so much so that “shrinking full-size dishes down to small plates just wasn’t enough, as a single ‘bite’ servings are the new big…um…small thing.” And Gowing noted on her blog: “It is imperative that every fast food menu has a component of mini-versions of the most popular products.”
The food truck trend is expected to slow down and become stationary this year. Expect to see many of your favorite shops “taking the wheels off” and setting up permanent locations. While some will try to run both businesses, others will switch to only the storefront.