OUR MOOD IN FOOD
Exciting trends crop up often — but which ones are here to stay?
Forecasting food trends is a bit more art than science. Remember the Cronut? The doughnut hybrid was born in May 2013 at a New York bakery. The birth announcement went out on Grub Street, and Web traffic soared. By January 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that not even a frigid winter storm could deter New Yorkers from standing in long lines for their beloved Cronuts. By August, National Geographic declared the Cronut had gone global.
But it was clear the trend (or was it a fad?) already was winding down by October 2014, when “Good Morning America” debuted the extremely difficult recipe for Dominique Ansel’s trademarked confection — a recipe that proved so laborious even on paper that it made the $5 price tag and two-percustomer limit seem like a bargain.
Then poof. The pundits were on to madeleines, the next goto confection, although I’m betting they’ll have as much luck with that one as they did with macarons, which were frankly just a little too airy and dainty to have mainstream American appeal.
For fascinating insights into these sorts of trends, read “The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up With Fondue” (Public Affairs; $25.99), by David Sax. He notes that before digital media it took time to track a trend, like the fuzzy decade or so it took before the improbable kiwi finally stepped into the limelight.
Kale’s rise was meteoric by comparison, but it probably won’t register with the mainstream American taste buds until kale shows up at a McDonald’s.
Far-fetched? Perhaps, but a dozen years ago whoever would have thought Sriracha would make a splash at Subway?
A few years ago I scoffed at the idea of Nordic cuisine (reindeer meat, anyone?) making its way to Kansas City, but I continue to keep my eyes peeled, because it might happen in a flash. And then it’ll be gone, just in time for Cronut 2.0 to tickle our collective taste buds in 2015.
Lucky in lard
Sometimes a food is in, and then it’s waayyy out. Like lard. In an increasingly obese society, lard has been, well, the butt of jokes. Health fanatics labeled it public enemy No. 1, but frankly, if you’re willing to let a Cronut sully your lips, why should you banish a natural fat that makes pie crust so darn flaky and fried chicken so crispy?
With the worst European crop in memory putting olive oil in short supply, lard is likely to be at least part of the solution. Plus, given America’s enduring love of bacon and the