With the end of one more year, and such an untypical one, we’re looking back and celebrating the trends in cuisine that brought us comfort and warmth in 2021. This last year did provide us with lots of innovation in the food industry and generally speaking, the trends pointed at better health for our bodies, planet and let’s not forget, wallets too!
So, what precisely was trendy in the world of food in 2021? Well, the rise in popularity of plant-based cuisine is not something entirely new, but 2021 surely was a remarkable year for those who practice a plant-based diet since they were given a wider variety of options. As talked about in this article ,“9 Trends That Had A Major Impact On The Food World In 2021”,the pandemic had a huge effect in peoples food choices and really made us put things into perspective (“…since the pandemic began, a lot of us are rethinking our diets and the role our food plays in sustainability and personal health.”) but it should not be forgotten that plant-based is kind of an “umbrella term” and does not solely correspond to being vegan. Speaking of being vegan, veganism and vegetarianism had a great influx of people joining the lifestyle in the past year which was probably caused not only by increasing concerns over mental/physical wellbeing as well as concerns over the environment, which is urgently in need of help and people are somewhat slowly starting to realize that and giving up their meat centered diets to live an eco-friendlier life. But even some people who were not yet willing to fully switch to veganism or vegetarianism, adapted their diets to a “flexitarian” one in which meat is not a regular consumption and is more a once-in-a-while thing. So, as you can see, sustainability was quite trendy in 2021.
Creativity is a keyword when it comes to the food world and this past year surely challenged everyone who is part of this industry to level up their imagination. With the lockdown, many restaurants and bars had to reinvent themselves in terms of menus and takeout for their business to survive. The thing is, many didn’t, and the ones that did survive still went through difficulties and had to let go of staff. This means that a lot of chefs and cookers were left unemployed. But, with the success of TikTok, there’s was a little ray of hope for pro chefs and even amateur ones as they were given a huge platform where they could share and promote their food and recipes, (“TikTok as a whole has been the most fun food trend of 2021 because we are seeing very inventive ways to prepare and eat foods going viral because of it”). This app also provided chefs with a chance to educate aspirant cooks and inspire them to try new recipes and techniques in the comfort of their kitchens.
All in all, 2021 brought lots of innovation to the food world and to our society with healthier and more eco-friendly food habits while testing our creativity and resilience.
Iara Mendes
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