The Food Words of 2017

2016 was the year of poke, cold-pressed juiceries and aquafaba. Which new – or revived – food word dominated 2017? Marjan Ippel takes a look at the food lingo of the year that is almost over. Raindrop cake, anyone?

Freakshakes

If one food trend made its mark worldwide, it was the freak versions of milkshakes, ice creams and smoothies. In short: with half the candy store stuck in them. And thanks to Instagram.

Avocado bar

If yet another food trend made its mark worldwide, it was the avocado. Which city had the first avocado bar? Amsterdam, according to the Avocado Show itself. Avocado roses and buns fly off the counter there. Once again, thanks to Instagram.

Avocado shop

And yes, the prize for the first avocado shop also went to… Amsterdam.

Avolatte

And then it turned out that the avocado bubble also had its limits. And that limit was a latte served in a hollowed-out avocado skin.

Brown food

Nigella Lawson argued for it in an interview with The Guardian. And she got plenty of ‘hear, hears’ in response. Virtually everyone endorsed her claim that the tastiest food often looks completely unappealing. Sorry, Instagram, hashtag #brownfood.

Egg cloud

Roughly speaking, a non-sweet meringue with a raw egg yolk at its center, briefly finished in the oven. Even Yvette van Boven shared a recipe. After that, you very quickly heard nothing more about it. Not even on, well…

Omakase

Literally: ‘I leave it up to you.’ In New York, one of the most important types of restaurant imported from Japan that year. Here, it only trickled through in small amounts. It boils down to this: the Japanese chef knows best. Not only what is in season and what excellent-quality produce is available at the market, but also what goes with what. So the division of roles is as follows: he decides what is served. You eat.

Okonomiyaki

Not a new dish, but thanks in part to François Geurds’ FG Okonomiyaki bar in Rotterdam, the Japanese pancake was put firmly on the map this year. With stripes of sauce that look great on… Instagram, indeed.

Root-to-leaf/ root-to-stem

For years, meat eaters have defended themselves by saying that they eat little meat anyway, and only quality meat. And nose-to-tail at that. So, the less-appreciated cuts too. Plant eaters first adopted typical meat-preparation techniques to make vegetables ruggedly sexy, and are now also promoting root-to-stem or root-to-leaf – nose-to-tail for plants.

Gourmet soft serve

Soft serve was for children. But because today’s twenty-somethings have no reason to grow up or act their age, thanks to the lack of a generation gap, all childhood food loves are getting a gourmet upgrade. Ergo: high-quality artisanal soft serve. Gourmet soft serve.

Fika

Already big in Taipei and America last year, and a little bit in our country too, this year it also broke through further here: the Swedish tradition of enjoying coffee with a biscuit, preferably cinnamon buns (kanelbullar).

Bar menu

Now that every restaurant comes with a bar as standard, the logical next step was a bar menu. Simpler but no less delicious bites than those served at the table. Designed to make the waiting time at the bar more enjoyable. A side effect: the waiters refuse to move on to the table for two or four reserved for them.

Water kefir

Kefir, made with kefir grains and milk, is one of those typical seventies things that health freaks dusted off. But what’s new is the water kefir variety: not milky, but crystal clear and lightly sparkling. And therefore more of a haute soft drink with health claims. It fits perfectly into the non-alcohol trend.

Khinkali

Dumplings may well be the most defining food of 2017. In the wake of the Chinese and Japanese varieties, versions from other regions emerged. From Tibetan momos to the latest discovery for Dutch foodies, khinkali from up-and-coming foodie destination Georgia.

Cobrew

Beer brewers are sociable people who enjoy drinking with others, but also creating together. From brewing bread to bread beer. Or a cobrew, a one-off collaboration with another brewer, coffee roaster or even winemaker.

Raindrop cake/water cake

Perhaps the most bizarre food trend on Instagram is this water-drop-shaped and completely transparent variation on Japanese mochi, made from jello. Three-Michelin-star chef Grant Achatz of Chicago restaurant Next posted a raindrop pumpkin cake on Instagram at Thanksgiving. But outside that, it was rarely actually spotted.

Smoothie bowl

Green smoothie fans and other girls were of course already spooning it empty in 2016, but in 2017 it became huge: the très Instagrammable bowl filled with fruit, seeds, nuts and whatever else?

Black latte, soft serve etc.

Black food has been a thing for years. But this year may well have seen its peak with the range of black ice creams and drinks à la the black latte: latte art made with frothed milk, served on a black drink based on activated charcoal – better known to us by the brand name Norit.

Fresh (ginger) tea

After years of a status quo with fresh mint tea, an avalanche of fresh ‘tea’ broke loose in 2017, from verbena to thyme and especially ginger.

Egg waffle/bubble waffle

Waffles with thick bubbles have been a hit in Hong Kong for years. But folded into a cone and filled with ice cream and candy, this freak ice cream became the summer hit of 2017. Indeed, Instagram was there.