Originally published on Eater.com: In Chicago, expect doner kebab, shakshuka, and even more vegetables. In Vancouver, sustainable food and veggie bowls will soon be at the forefront. Nationwide, diners should prepare for a glut of noodles, hummus, and/or “creative condiments,” depending on who you ask. The end of the year, in other words, marks the time when prognosticators guess what food trends will take over 2017, and the hive mind often lands on varying results.
“Predicting food trends like these has become as much an American holiday tradition as ordering an eggnog latte,” the New York Times’ Kim Severson wrote in a 1,600-word look at the balance between art and science that goes behind each trend list. (The gist: It’s mostly a crapshoot, though consumers should pay attention to the list’s source — often, like in a widely shared listactually authored by Whole Foods, they’re from retailers and PR firms with something at stake.)
Some lists show consensus, which means those items might be legitimate trends in the next 12 months (congrats, vegetables, food waste, and Filipino cuisine). Others, like naan pizza, nutritional yeast, and that catch-all phrase “authentic ethnic cuisine” might also pop up on plates next year — because why not? So here now, a collection of all the highly unscientific predictions made by restaurant industry associations, food media, and brands so far this year, which congeal into the Official Megalisticle of All 2017 Food Trend Listicles:
1. Adaptogen supplements (Bon App)
2. African food (National Restaurant Association)
3. Alternative pasta (Whole Foods)
4. Amaro (Bon App)
5. Artisanal butchery / Meat (Bloomberg, National Restaurant Association)
6. “Authentic ethnic cuisine” (National Restaurant Association)
7. Beef (James Beard Foundation)
8. Brisket (GrubHub)
9. Buddha bowls (Pinterest)
10. Cauliflower (Bon App, James Beard Foundation)
11. Casual family dinners (Food Network)
12. Cereal (Bloomberg)
13. Charcoal (Bon App, Bloomberg)
14. Charcuterie (National Restaurant Association)
15. Chilled red wine (Bloomberg)
16. Classic French cuisine (James Beard Foundation)
17. Coconut (Whole Foods)
18. Coffee as an ingredient (Food Network)
19. Cooking over fire (Telegraph)
20. Counter-service restaurants (Food Network)
21. Craft beer (Pinterest)
22. “Creative condiments” / House-made condiments (Whole Foods,National Restaurant Association)
23. Delivery services / Delivery apps (Bon App, James Beard Foundation, Telegraph)
24. Edamame noodles (Sainbury’s via Telegraph)
25. Empanadas (Pinterest)
26. “Ethnic” breakfast food (National Restaurant Association)
27. Fermentation (James Beard Foundation)
28. Filipino food (Bloomberg, Food Network)
29. Flexitarian dieting (Whole Foods, Food Network)
30. Frybread (James Beard Foundation)
31. Food waste, serving on menus (Bloomberg, James Beard Foundation)
32. Healthy “chips” (Pinterest)
33. Healthy kids’ meals (National Restaurant Association)
34. Heirloom produce (National Restaurant Association)
35. High-tech cocktails (Bloomberg)
36. “Home-based chefs” (Food Network)
37. Italian food (Telegraph)
38. Jackfruit (Pinterest)
39. Kalettes (James Beard Foundation)
40. Koji (Telegraph)
41. Kombucha (Telegraph)
42. Las Vegas (Bloomberg)
43. Live-streaming video (Food Network)
44. Marbling desserts (Telegraph)
45. Mastiha liqueur (Telegraph)
46. Mead (Telegraph)
47. Meaty vegetables (Food Network)
48. Naan pizza (Pinterest)
49. Noodles (Foursquare)
50. Non-sushi Japanese food (Whole Foods)
51. Nutritional yeast (Bon App)
52. Octopus (Pinterest)
53. “Old-school pizzerias” (Bon App)
54. Olive oil alternatives (Pinterest)
55. Pho (GrubHub)
56. Pignoletto sparkling wine (Telegraph)
57. Poke (GrubHub, Waitrose via Telegraph)
58. Porridge (Food Network)
59. Products made from byproducts / Whey (Whole Foods, James Beard Foundation)
60. Purple food (Whole Foods)
61. Quick-pay coffee cups (Telegraph)
62. Sauerkraut (Pinterest)
63. Savory yogurt (Waitrose via Telegraph)
64. Seafood towers (Bloomberg)
65. 1970s-inspired food (Telegraph)
66. Sherry cocktails (Telegraph)
67. “Smart” gadgets for the kitchen (Telegraph)
68. Sorghum (James Beard Foundation)
69. Sous-vide (Pinterest)
70. Sprinkles / colorful dessert (James Beard Foundation)
71. Street-food inspired dishes (National Restaurant Association)
72. Sustainable seafood (National Restaurant Association)
73. Syrian food (Telegraph)
74. Tacos (Telegraph)
75. Tamales (GrubHub)
76. Tataki (James Beard Foundation)
77. Tater tots (GrubHub)
78. Turmeric root (Sainbury’s via Telegraph)
79. Vegetables (Bloomberg, James Beard Foundation, Telegraph)
80. Wellness tonics (Whole Foods)
81. Yogurt (Bon App)
