How will we eat in 2023? here are 10 predictions

Nearly every big change in how we eat starts as a fad, which is really just a shared moment among a subset of diners or cooks that gains traction. Some fads fade away slowly, like wine coolers or molecular gastronomy. Others implode suddenly, like turmeric lattes or the pink sauce that shot up like a rocket on TikTok this year and then exploded.

There are fads that build into trends and then become woven into the fabric of our day. Who knew that a fringe interest in custom-roasted coffee beans in 1960s Berkeley, California, would lead to Starbucks?

It’s hard to tell the fleeting from the lasting, but that doesn’t keep a lot of people from trying. I waded through dozens of reports and news releases, and interviewed the best food forecasters in the game to peer into the 2023 food crystal ball.

In a time of inflation, climate change and global tensions, some predictions seem grim. “We’re fatigued,” said Jennifer Zegler, a director of food and drink for the global market research group Mintel. “Simplicity, versatility, escapism and resourcefulness are what our trends boil down to this year.”

All is not bleakness. High-end Jell-O shots, bright naturally coloured fare and packaging that evokes the ’70s are in. Food and drinks that make you feel healthier will continue to proliferate, too. “People want something fun, and they want newness and they want natural,” said Claire Lancaster, who forecasts food and drink trends for WGSN.

Here are 10 interpretations of the tea leaves.

Flavour of the Year

Embrace the brine. Fresh, bracing marine flavours have spawned a craze for coastal cocktails garnished with crab claws and oysters. Dan Levy, the actor and host of “The Big Brunch,” is making Clamato cool. Sea vegetables like kelp and sea creatures like uni have secured spots on several trend lists.

Word of the Year

Calling yourself a climatarian is so 2022. The new term is regenivore. It’s no longer about eating sustainably, which implies a state of preserving what is. A new generation wants food from companies that are actively healing the planet through carbon-reducing agriculture, more rigorous animal welfare policies and equitable treatment of the people who grow and process food.

Look for big changes to reduce waste in packaging. More chefs will use what Mintel calls “climate hero ingredients” like teff, fava and lupin beans, and more diners will choose food and drink that improve their health and the planet’s. Even the alcohol industry has started throwing around words like eco-alignment. “These companies don’t want to just be seen as doing the right thing daily,” said Joan Driggs, who studies retail trends and consumer packaged goods for IRI, a data analysis company. “They want to be really seen as making a positive difference.”

Snack of the Year

Chicken skins have been trying to elbow out buffalo wings for some time, but this may be their year. Riding the wave of an obsessive interest in all forms of fried chicken, crispy chicken skins are the base for nachos at pop-ups, and sauced and spiced as appetizers in restaurants. Rising chicken prices have chefs looking for ways to get more from the bird. Asian cuisines that regularly use chicken skins are providing culinary inspiration.

Chris Moyer, the executive chef for Perdue, placed the skins high on his list of most promising chicken products and likes them in place of croutons in salads or as toupées for roasts. And then there is the crunch factor, which more than 70% of consumers say they look for in a snack, said Denise Lefebvre, senior vice president of R & D for PepsiCo Foods. “People love the crunch,” she said. “Anything that amplifies the senses is big now.”

Japan-Adjacency

Japanese food is the cuisine all the other cuisines most want to hang out with. “Chefs throughout the world, many of Japanese descent, are fusing Japanese ingredients or culinary techniques with foods they love from their surroundings,” according to AF & Co and Carbonate, two San Francisco firms that collaborate on an annual hospitality trend report.

In New York, the restaurant Kimika is a popular practitioner of itameshi, the combining of Italian and Japanese cooking. Nikkei, the mashup of Peruvian and Japanese cuisines, is on display at places like Causita in Los Angeles, where Peruvian potatoes stand in for sushi rice. At Ethel’s Fancy in Palo Alto, California, a fourth-generation Japanese American chef is defining California-Japanese cooking. Even Nordic chef René Redzepi is getting in on it: His next big-ticket Noma pop-up will be in Kyoto.

The Thrill of Thrift

Inflation, fears about climate change and growing concern about waste and conspicuous consumption are driving a new interest in frugality. “People are no longer embarrassed and hiding their coupons,” Lancaster said. Social media is filled with money-saving tips for the kitchen, and menu hacks to get cheaper items at Starbucks and other restaurants. Energy costs, both monetary and environmental, are expected to persuade home cooks to increase the use of small appliances like microwaves, air fryers and electric kettles rather than turn on the oven. Private-label supermarket brands and restaurants that offer shorter menus and more value are gaining speed. “Expect a stronger focus on durability, flexibility and timelessness as consumers seek to buy less and own products that last longer and serve multiple purposes,” Simon Moriarty, director of Mintel Trends, writes in his report on the coming year.

Tuber of the Year

Ube, a slightly nutty-tasting, vanilla-scented purple yam from the Philippines, is showing up on lots of trend lists and in all kinds of foods and drinks, from pies and waffles to lattes and ube coladas. It easily made the list of colours and flavours that capture the mood of 2023 compiled by food-processing giant ADM. The yam’s popularity is riding on an interest in food with bright, natural colours like dragon fruit, lychee and purple Peruvian corn. Also rising: floral flavours like vetiver and ylang-ylang.

One Giant Step for brandkind

– This article originally appeared in The New York Times