Man, can you guys believe that there are less than three weeks left of 2014? We’d better start thinking about what food items we want trending in 2015 — and luckily (or unluckily, depending on your point of view), Baum+Whiteman’s 2015 food and beverage trends report is here to help us get the job done. Yum.
Baum+Whiteman exists to “create high-profile restaurants around the world for hotels, restaurant companies, museums, and other consumer destinations,” including the legendary Rainbow Room in New York. At the end of each year, they put out a Food and Beverage Forecast discussing upcoming trends in flavor profiles, how they predict the restaurant industry itself will likely be changing, and “buzzwords” to look for in the coming year. I might be wrong, but it sounds kind of like the Pantone report of restaurant fare to me. Anyone else?
For 2015, the big theme for restaurant operation is technology: Ordering food from touchscreens and electronic kiosks, prepaying for uncancellable meals, and so on. I’ll be honest, though — I’m more interested in what kinds of foods and beverages this report thinks we should all be consuming. Now, it’s worth noting that the report is specifically intended for use by restaurants; as such, obviously no one needs to be eating and drinking the items highlighted on it if they don’t want to be. But if you do care about keeping up with the latest edible trends, here’s a small selection of things that should be on your “Must Eat” list for 2015. Read the full report for more.
1. Oysters
Although I wasn’t aware that they’d gone anywhere, oysters are apparently coming back in a big way. Red cocktail sauce and horseradish will still be acceptable accompaniments, but if you want to change it up a little, some eateries are toying around with things like chorizo butter and lemongrass cocktail sauce.
2. “Ugly Root Vegetables”
And yes, that’s a technical term. Celery root, parsnips, and kohlrabi are the sorts of things you want to look for — even if they may not be the prettiest of veggies in their natural form.
3. Micheladas
The idea of a beer-based cocktail has never appealed to me, but they’re seemingly gaining steam. Micheladas, which originate from Mexico, involve adding all sorts of spices and other savory things to your beer. Rogue’s Sriracha Hot Stout Beer looks kind of like it’s hopping on the bottled version of this one, but if you want to make your own, anything from beef broth to chipotle tomato juice make for acceptable add-ins.
4. Regular Ol’ Toast
NOT “artisan toast.” The report is very specific about this. But although I agree that charging $7 and change for a piece of toast is a little ridiculous, you’ll have to pry my made-at-home avocado toast from my cold, dead hands. Mashed avocado with a little bit of olive oil and lemon juice and a sprinkling of parmesan? Best. Lunch. Ever.
5. Pistachios
According to the “buzzwords” section, the humble pistachio is “the nut of the year” for 2015. Whatever that means.
6. Protein
Lots of protein, especially from unusual sources. More buzzwords include, “More protein being sold at breakfast. Insects in your protein bar. [And] new focus on plant-based proteins.”
Head on over to Business Week for the list of buzzwords in an easy-to-digest format, and take a look at the complete Baum+Whiteman report if you want more details. It’s actually quite readable, so don’t worry about it being dry or difficult to get through. If you love food, it’s worth checking out. Bon appetit!
Images: Joe Papagoda/Flickr; Giphy (6)
