Eight Exciting Food and Drink Trends Brewing in 2014

It's a new year, and with it comes a fresh crop of food trends. The twelve months of 2013 were full of sliders, Mexican waves, salted caramel anything — and it's about time those smoke alarms have a rest.

This year, we've gotten a tad greener: hybrid snacks will turn some faces green (ramen burger anyone?) but spit-roasting feasts may turn others green with envy. We’re getting back to nature and becoming all green and eco-friendly by eating at zero-waste cafes, meeting farmers and salvaging scraps. Save all your jam jars, too: there’s some serious fermenting sessions bound to happen, and if we're not eating at home, we'll be dining at Korean BBQs.

Hybrid snacks

A new wave of outlandish fusion foods is emerging and gourmet junk is on the rise. We want high-fat, high-flavour street food. Why all this (albeit, somewhat delicious) madness? Trend forecaster Chris Sanderson of The Future Laboratory says it's all about Gen Y being "experience-hungry" and "searching for food as fun". "Some days they'll eat nutritionally well, but other days they're gorging on high-cal, high-spec treats," Chris says.

Enter the cronut. A cross between a croissant and a doughnut, the calorific treat was created at a Bakery in Manhattan back in May 2013 and has attracted a loyal following since. Our very own King of Sweets — Adriano Zumbo — swiftly jumped on this fad and crafted his own version, aptly named ‘The Zonut’. What ensued were lengthy lines outside his patisserie and other bakeries across the nation dusting off their deep-fryers.

Not a fan? Don't worry, it won’t be all cinnamon-sugar coated. Other hybrid snacks that are appearing include savoury waffles and ramen burgers (yes, precisely what you think they are: ramen noodles moulded into the shape of a bun with a burger patty sandwiched between). Also, keep an eye out for the fabled 'townie' — who wouldn't love a brownie and a tart all in one?

Superfoods

Kale and quinoa will continue to reign as superfoods. According to Sanderson, the ancient grain and verdant vegetable are still pretty obscure foodstuffs for the mainstream, so expect to see more of them for a few years yet. Oscar-worthy appearances for quinoa can be seen in dishes such as salads, soups, sushi, porridges. Sidekick freekah is set to pop up more often too: the green wheat grain from the Middle East has a nutty flavour and is also very 'super'.

The 'queen of greens' has without a doubt, singlehandedly supported Breville's blender department. Morning smoothies will remain green for 2014, and keep throwing it in frittatas and salads. Kale chips are the favoured party snack now too — Smiths crinkle cut are so 2012.

Hyper-provenance

Hyper- what? Hyper-provenance. It involves getting up close and personal with the food we eat — literally. We’re seeking more information than just the country of origin on our food. Sanderson notes that there's a new breed of consumer demanding to know which farm produces their favourite cheese and even which cow was milked. It's all about getting back to our 'roots' and becoming deeply connected to the sources of our food.

Already we’ve seen a steady increase in cafes and restaurants highlighting that the tomatoes are from Linda in Petersham and the basil is from Terry in Earlwood. Boutique butcher Feather & Bone visit every producer for firsthand experience to ensure that the farming practices are sustainable: they can tell you where it was raised, what it was fed, right through to slaughter and ageing. Pepe Saya knows the farmers down in Picton, NSW that make the cream for his cultured butter — seasoned with Murray River Pink Salt.

But it's not just the small-scale quirky food producers: mainstream brands are getting involved, driving to the farms and saying g’day to Farmer Joe. Australian egg producer ecoeggs has gone one step further to allow consumers to watch its chickens live via a ChookCam. Lays Chip Company in the US has even mapped out their maize. "For a number of years now, they've been able to indicate which farm each of it hundreds of thousands of packets of tortilla chips has provided the maize," says Sanderson.

Fermentation and Pickling

#ferment4life #healthybugs #fermentation #picklery #picklepickle

We may be indulging in the gourmet junk some days, but other days we're all about the good bacteria. We're going to get ourselves into quite a pickle this year. In a good way though — fermented vegetables are the next big thing; pickling classes are being held everywhere. So dust off the granny aprons and save all those jars for your next sauerkraut batch, because it's not just for the yoga-pant-wearing raw-food survivalists.

And it is actually super-easy to make at home: all you need is salt and a vegetable in a sealed jar. Store it at room temperature for ten days or more and watch the bubbly activity build healthy bacteria. Yes — it's good for our gut. You might be squirming at the thought of it all, but fermented foods are everywhere. Who doesn't love a pungent spoonful of pickled cabbage alongside your roast chicken?

Pigs on parade

It might be the year of the horse, but it's all about pigs in 2014. The ovens are being fired up, the spits are turning, pork ribs are being marinated in preparation for sticky-finger feasting and charcuterie boards are being carved to lay the groundwork for a menu replete with cured meats.

Continuing with the theme of sustainability, there's a new generation of butchers and chefs that are dedicated to using the entire carcass, not just the prime cuts. A new mobile phone app, called Nose to Tail, promotes full use of the animal and provides information about more than 200 cuts, including recommended preparation.

Moreover, embracing a paddock-to-plate attitude means that the pigs being used are healthier and fatter. And we know what fatter means — more flavour and better texture. Hungry diners are enjoying slow-roasted spit roasts and smoky platters of sticky ribs with homemade BBQ sauce. Chefs are perfecting the art of crispy, succulent pork belly that is dripping with all the evils of tastiness: you can get it sandwiched between a soft white bun with cabbage salad and mayo now at any cafe.

And if they're not roasting or BBQing it, they're curing it. Move over cheese platter, it's time for the charcuterie board to take the limelight. Think spicy salamis; rich, gamey pates; and translucent, paper-thin prosciutto.

Zero waste

Food waste is hitting an all-time high. We might all be embracing the sustainable food production and living culture, albeit according to Oz Harvest, Australians are throwing away 3 million tonnes of food every year — the equivalent of 136 kilos per person.

So what shall we do with all this? Sanderson's trend alert team says that brands are taking action and "transforming out-of-date produce into edible feasts". Charities all over Australia such as FareShare have a team of volunteers and chefs that transform wasted food from eateries into edible, nourishing meals and also distribute all those untouched restaurant meals to the less fortunate.

It may sound off, but it's not the scraps. An estimated 20-40 percent of fruit and vegetables don't reach the shops due to the supermarkets unreasonable aesthetic standards — that’s a lot of jamming and chutney-making to be done here. And if we’ve done all the jamming we can do, visit eateries such as Silo by Joost in Melbourne, who have a "loop-based system whereby packaging and waste is reduced to a minimum", says Sanderson. It literally is a zero-waste cafe: all organic waste is treated in a waste dehydrator and steriliser. Time to take a trip to Bunnings to get that compost bin, perhaps?

Korean food

We were all about burgers and hot dogs in 2013 — and the American cuisine is set to stick around for a bit longer. Bust out the bibs again, as there's a trending forecast for Southern fried chicken and smoky barbecue stuff to continue hitting our menus. However, Asian food is something we're familiar with and now we're starting to apply great things to it. Korean dishes are set to take centre stage. We’ve done our dash with Thai and Vietnamese, but the travelled foodies are realising that if you venture not too far east, there's an incredible Korean experience waiting to happen.

The pickling affair will fit right in here too: the fermented vegetable dish kimchi hits the mainstream, along with ssamjang and gochujang. Fire up those hot pots and spicy BBQs — it's fresh, healthy, packed with vegetables and spice and an ideally complimented with an icy cold lager.

One-food wonders

Restaurants have been specialising in just one or two dishes for a while now, be they dumpling houses, burger joints, espresso bars, bagel places — there's even an artisanal food craze in San Francisco with cafes solely serving toast (and the lines aren't short). Is it a sign of the economic times or just the tip of the hipster spear? Either way, these extremely curated menus may only have a few items but are all about idiosyncrasy and creating an atmosphere.

The increasing taste for specialisation means the chefs can focus on the ingredients and achieve the best possible buns/crepes/tacos/ramen possible. Diners are craving the authentic tastes and more characteristic variations with fewer dishes. Case in point: Mary's in Sydney has a concise food menu of only three burgers. Los Hermanos in Melbourne has only eight menu items, mainly tacos. Wonderbao only sells steamed buns.

But isn't there a danger in having such limited choice? Not at all; if it means more time chatting to our pals and less time spent reading the novel-like menus, we're all for one-food wonders.

To hear more from the Future Laboratory, check out their Australian events:

SYDNEY TREND BRIEFING SERIES
Date: Wednesday 19 February
Time: 8am – Registration and light breakfast
9am – 12.30pm – Trend Briefing
Venue: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh

Tickets from Eventbrite.

LUXURY FUTURES FORUM, SYDNEY
Speakers: Chris Sanderson, Martin Raymond, Megan Quinn, Chris Kyvetos, Loh Lik Peng
Date: Thursday, 20th February 2014
Time: 1.30-6.30pm
Venue: Golden Age Cinema, Paramount House, 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

Tickets via Eventbrite.

MELBOURNE TREND BRIEFING SERIES
Date: Wednesday 12 February
Time: 8am – Registration and light breakfast
9am – 12.30pm – Trend Briefing
Venue: ACMI, Federation Square/Flinders Street, Melbourne

Tickets via Eventbrite

FOOD AND DRINK FUTURE FORUM, MELBOURNE
Speakers: Chris Sanderson, Martin Raymond, Jill Dupleix, Any Gaunt, Andrew McConnell
Date: Thursday 13 February 2014
Time: 1.30pm to 6.30pm
Venue: RMIT University Design Hub – Building 100, Carlton

Tickets via Eventbrite.