The Biggest Food Trends Of 2016

A few things come to mind when I think of 2016 at a glance: Michelle Obama basically ruling the universe, women shattering records at the Olympics, and food. Lots and lots of food. In fact, I have a feeling that some of the biggest food trends of 2016 will make a second appearance in 2017, because honestly — does food ever really go out of style? (No.) While admittedly, I wasn't a fan of every single food trend that found its way into 2016, I'm happy to salivate over pictures of delicious dishes on my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages any day of the week. Because food.

One of the ongoing food themes this year seemed to be... how do I put this... "Let's take ordinary things and make them absolutely ridiculous and over-the-top." People didn't eat just a grilled cheese sandwich. They ate two grilled cheese sandwiches that actually formed the bun of a burger stuffed with meatballs and wrapped in bacon. And all of this was on top of a pizza. Another theme I noticed was food that was far too pretty to eat. So instead, we just took pictures of it to post online.

This is almost too much food for one article, but I present to you some of the biggest food trends of 2016.

Galaxy Food

I feel like I'm spinning off into another dimension. Galaxy food definitely goes under the heading of, "How can I eat something so beautiful?"

Rainbow Food

I award +10 points for creativity. This trend is pretty much a Lisa Frank party in your mouth. But I personally have to draw the line at rainbow grilled cheese.

The Avocado Bun

I love avocados as much as the next person, but I think I might like bread more. So I'll stick to the regular buns as opposed to these trendy avocado buns. But that won't stop me from eating avocado with my eggs in the morning. Nom nom nom.

Rainbow Drinks

Pink Drink for the win! The Starbucks secret menu items were a hit, although haters scoffed at them quite a bit on social media. ("Wahh! There's no such thing as a Starbucks secret menu! Wahh!") But the Pink Drink won me over, and I still enjoy it every now and then.

Souped-Up Doughnuts

In my neck of the woods, there's chocolate and there's plain. But places like PV Donuts went above and beyond with things like this Thanksgiving doughnut. Other people combined the galaxy food trend with the doughnut trend, and, well, my brain exploded.

Unicorn Food

Unicorns were huge this year, so naturally, that spread over onto the food we eat. It takes the rainbow trend to a new level, with all kinds of magical sprinkles, and other accessories.

Smoothie Bowls

This is a legit art form. Can you imagine the time that went into crafting and photographing these masterpieces?

Rose Gummy Bears

Are these the cutest party snacks or what?

Milkshakes Gone Wild

I remember when I was a kid, and milkshakes were vanilla chocolate chip ice cream with a little chocolate syrup, tossed in a blender. LOL. Bunch of amateurs, we were. And while we're talking about ice cream...

Rolled Ice Cream

I don't think I could hold off on eating this long enough to take a picture. Kudos to these strong souls.

Fairy Bread

Apparently this came over from Australia, and yes — it's bread with sprinkles. But... sprinkles! Everyone loves sprinkles!

Images: Fotolia