Feta pasta? TikTok food trends you need to try
A loaf of bread and a chocolate orb have never been so popular.
At least that’s been the feeling over the past year, when TikTok has spurred a barrage of food trends that have made their way from our phones to our kitchens and even to retail shelves.
In 2020, people melted with delight over videos of hot cocoa bombs, which turned into mugs of hot cocoa when hot milk was poured over them. Banana bread — an oldie but goodie — became all the rage once more. And people hovered over their stoves to create adorable miniature pancakes in an effort to re-create pancake cereal.
Now, in the past few weeks, we’ve seen even more TikTok food trends emerge, including comfort-food feta pasta.
However, to Nolan Lewin, executive director and director of operations of the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgeton, New Jersey, this is old news. Sort of.
“People have always invented food products — that’s a continuous thing — over time, but with social media becoming so popular and with so many different channels to go through, some of them have become natural spreaders for certain types of activities,” he said.
One thing that is novel, however, is the people driving these trends. According to TikTok, 60% of users are between ages 10 to 29, categorizing them as millennials or Generation Z. Lewin believes the natures of these generations helped to drive these food trends.
“The people who are more apt to see these videos are much more willing to try new things, different ethnic foods and flavorings and spices,” he said. “I think our American view of the world has really expanded. The benefit is people don’t have to travel to try this coffee with coconut milk or to go or some of these Indian countries to try their chutneys. They can find a recipe online.”
Lewin doesn’t completely give credit to pandemic boredom for helping these trends spread – he recalls many times pre-pandemic when his 19-year-old would show him innovative foods found online – but he said it’s definitely a factor, even for the Rutgers Food Innovation Center.
Lewin said it has gotten many calls from people coming up with new foods – the center’s job is essentially to help people launch their food businesses – many of whom said they have spent the last few months at home and are now trying to make some extra cash or bring a family recipe to life.
But why food, and not fashion, art or other cultural phenomenon? Because food is universal, Lewin said, and everyone has some degree of comfort with cooking something, even if it’s just eggs or a burger. That forms a good baseline to follow a simple recipe, especially if there’s a fun video in it.
Only time will tell, though, if these TikTok food trends continue to take off once the pandemic is “over” – whenever that may be. Lewin thinks they may drop off a bit as more people return to their offices, but the interest will keep on cooking in some form.
“I think that you’ll probably continue to see these fun variations of products coming out,” he said. “People are always looking to be creative and that will never stop. It may fall out a little bit when people are going into the office and they can’t play with a frying pan and pancake mix for an hour, but they still will have some time for things that are fun.”
Last year, we saw a slew of TikTok food trends, including hot cocoa bombs, pancake cereal, whipped coffee and cloud bread. Here are just a few that are taking off right now.
Birria tacos
For generations, birria — a Mexican stew made with gamey goat meat that’s slowcooked for hours — has been a traditional dish that is often served as taco filling inside crispy tortillas fried in fat. It’s served with a side of luscious red broth, called consomé, for dunking and is also sometimes graced with mild
Oaxaca cheese.
But now, the Mexican street food has made its way to the East Coast after exploding on TikTok, with some variations — many restaurants are using beef rather than goat meat. In New Jersey, tons of Mexican eateries have added the new trend to their menus — or seen huge upticks in sales of the regional specialty they always offered — as throngs of foodies have headed to the streets to try birria tacos for themselves.
Feta pasta
Feta pasta might be one of the newest TikTok trends, but it’s actually been around much longer — a Finnish blogger is credited with coming up with the dish and then, in early 2019, shared it on her site. When the blogger behind Grilled Cheese Social shared it on her TikTok at the end of January, the video blew up — it now has more than 3 million views, and #bakedfetapasta has more than 66 million collective views throughout the app.
It’s not surprising why — not many people can resist a comfort dish of pasta, cheese and tomatoes, especially if it’s simple to make. Just combine a block of feta, tomatoes and olive oil in a pan, bake it and then mix with pasta and basil (although there are small differences depending on which recipe you follow).
Fufu
In West Africa, fufu — a soft, spongy, stretchy dough used as a sort of spoon with rich, spicy soups — are a staple. At the moment, it’s a staple on TikTok, too, as millions of users are trying the #fufuchallenge and giving the starch made of cassava, white yams or plantain their reviews.
After tearing off a portion of the fufu, like one would tear a piece of bread off a loaf, they make a dent with their finger to “mold” it, dip it into the soup and then eat the fufu piece, now filled with soup. Although #fufu and #fufuchallenge have collectively amassed almost 400 million views on TikTok, it hasn’t been without controversy as some users have disrespectfully spit out the traditional food.
Tortilla wrap
Every burrito fan knows that the best way to take your bundle of meat, cheese and joy to the next level is by giving that tortilla just the hint of a crisp. One TikTok user figured out a way to do just that, while also creating the perfect pocket to store all of your burrito goodies.
Plus, like many TikTok trends are, it’s easy. Simply pop a flour tortilla into the toaster and after it puffs up, you can cut it open and then fill with desired ingredients to create an easyto-eat wrap which won’t lose its contents from the bottom.
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