By Claire Winstanley from Good Looking and Cooking
I’ve based my ideas on foodie trends for 2017 on my research while travelling over this past year, my experiences and public commentary.
Foodie trends for 2017
The Power Bowl – Instagram Bait
Popular perhaps because of its Instagram-friendly nature as you can see everything in the bowl and it’s great for top shots. In particular, the Hawaiian Poke (pronounced OK with a P) a raw fish dish served with seaweed, local nuts and salt. Then there’s the Korean Bibimbap which is a warm bowl of rice served with a multitude of toppings, sauces, whole egg and thinly sliced meat. Next we head on over to the Japanese Chirashi which is a bowl of rice topped with mixed raw fish, vegetables and various other Japanese ingredients. These bowl foods are all easy on the eye and hips, have only just started to show up in the country and are likely to continue to grow in popularity.
RECIPE: Spicy Hawaiian tuna poké bowl with avo, baby marrow noodles and kale chips
Travelling Through Taste
Food really simplifies and enables cultural connections. More and more we’re turning to food to experience new cultures. Food is a reflection of the people who eat it. Whether it’s cooking the recipes at home ourselves or visiting a local restaurant offering a particular cuisine, people want to taste what the greater globe has to offer and this trend will definitely wonder its way over to 2017.
Do the Cha Cha for Matcha
We’re seeing more and more Japanese imports and Asian imports in general. Each year Japanese Matcha, a green tea powder used in beverages and just about everything, becomes more of a trend globally but hasn’t quite exploded in South Africa yet. I think 2017 is the year. Another interesting and strange to some import that will hopefully hit our shores is combo beverages – big in Asia – the combination of tea and coffee sharing one cup. Rather an efficient way of drinking if you ask me; all-in-one.
RECIPE: Matcha brioche
Cook by Numbers
Meal-kit delivery services are fresh off the boat and here to stay. They offer a ‘cook by numbers/meal-in-a-box’ scenario where all the ingredients are prepped for you and you simply assemble, cook and enjoy. This means fresh food, less waste, tried and tested recipes and directions, as well as saving you time and solving the problem of “what’s for dinner”.
Mobile Mania
We’re seeing a major shift in the way we search for recipes and information on food. We no longer rely solely on cookbooks and cooking shows on TV for our culinary cues. More and more people are turning to their mobile devices (the most convenient resource right at our fingertips) for immediate information – while standing in the store, while making choices at a restaurant or pondering the week’s meals on a Monday. Mobile info and recipes on demand via YouTube, Google and Instagram are steadily growing and changing the way we seek info and consume food.
Fingers Crossed
There are two things I am truly holding thumbs, crossing fingers and toes we see boom in 2017. The first being Khachapuri – possibly better than pizza and could be THE breakfast item for the coming year. It’s a Georgian bread filled with oozing melted cheese, a whole egg and other ingredients of choice – who wouldn’t want to start their day this way. The second – chef collaborations. Slowly chefs are buddying up in the USA to offer diners unique pop-up experiences under one roof. Think Luke-Dale-Roberts of The Test Kitchen meets Scot Kirton of La Colombe cooking together for a few nights only – the hottest ticket in town most certainly.
About Good Looking and Cooking
Food stylist Claire Winstanley has launched a YouTube channel aptly named Good Looking and Cooking (GLAC); the only fully digital food channel in South Africa devoted to the sheer enjoyment that comes with cooking – and of course eating – really, really ridiculously good looking food that tastes even better. What’s even tastier is that all the easy to make recipes, tips, tricks and shortcuts are available for free on the Good Looking and Cooking website. In Winstanley’s own words: “It all looks so delicious you’ll want to lick your screens!”
Watch Claire make her famous bobotie recipe below:
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
