February 20, 2015
What will be on your plate in 2015? Will you be sticking to the same meals? Or reworking some homemade recipes? This year it seems that just like fashion and technology, food is introducing its own trends. Next time you go to the shop, you won’t be asking if a particular type of food is good for you, you’ll be asking – ‘is it in?’
Every year there are developments and new introductions in what we eat and how we dine. The surprising thing is, they get more different and more bizarre all the time. So we’ve looked at what the experts have said and today and Nawaab Manchester are going to give you a round up of the food trends you need to know about this year.
When we think of burgers, we think of chicken and beef. But this year, we’ll start to see more of what are known as ‘posh burgers’ – sandwiches that include fillings such as duck, lobster, pork belly and squid. They’ve been on trend for quite some time, but this year, there’s an anything goes policy that has been introduced. And we can’t wait.
Sweet or savoury, waffles can be enjoyed at any time of the day. This year, you’ll be able to enjoy the pleasure of ordering waffles with everything. Whether you have them as a dessert, snack or for brunch, you can create your own unique serving and enjoy them all year round.
At the end of 2014, loads of fast food restaurants opened in London specialising in serving lobster. They served lobster tail, claw and many other varieties at quite an affordable price, and they’re really popular. It seems people would much rather pay less for a takeout lobster roll rather than eat it in an expensive restaurant. Let’s just hope the lobster supply doesn’t run out.
We all love vegetables, but cauliflower is the one that people are making the most fuss about. We’re seeing it in everything from pizzas to curries to porridges. The beauty of this ingredient is the variety of things you can do with it. Roasted florets are delicious, the same goes for when they’re boiled softly, and even cauliflower steaks have been created. So think again about the way you use this vegetable, because it will be undergoing a makeover this year.
After the rise of coconut water which is now a $1 billion global industry, birch water is the next drink fast approaching. It’s a clear liquid that is harvested from birch trees during a two-to-three week window in spring. It’s already sold as a health food in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe, and thankfully you can get it in the UK now too. Like coconut water, it helps to hydrate you, but it’s also claiming to treat conditions including liver disease, flu, headaches, eczema and cellulite. You can expect people to go crazy for this.
Step aside kale – there’s a new ingredient in town that’s, well, very different. Slimy seaweed as we’re used to seeing it, is now being embraced as a key feature to meals, not just something you find at the bottom of the sea. People are spreading the word about its health and nutritional benefits, so you can expect to see it crop up on a lot of menus this year.
As more and more people are opting for homemade, fresh food and ingredients, whole grains are definitely here to stay. This year will see the growth of freekeh – toasted young, green wheat that has a chewy texture and an interesting smoky flavour. Soon enough you’ll see it making it’s what into supermarkets, and you’ll wonder why you never used it before now.
More and more of us are seeing locally sourced ingredients as something of high importance when we visit a restaurant. Local eating is actually a trend in itself, with location specific bloggers always reviewing their favourite local eating spots. In many restaurant round ups of the past year, local places were topping nearly every list. But this year, people want to know exactly where their food is coming from.
How useful would it be if you could walk into a restaurant, sit at your table and order on what you want to eat on your phone? And then, pay the bill on your phone at the end when you’re ready. We know it’s the future – a selection of 200 restaurants will be trying it out this year and then you might see it everywhere. It makes everything simpler and, like everything, it’s good to stay up to date with technology. It’s the future.
With the new trends of 2015, why not try combining your curry dishes with some of the ingredients mentioned here. Cauliflower or even treat yourself to some curried lobster, be creative with your curry culinary skills, this year.
