Trendwatchers on the 17 most important food trends of 2023
Every year, trend forecaster Vincent van Dijk sheds light on the food trends of the coming year. Which trends and developments will shape the years ahead? We asked Vincent what we can expect in 2023, on and beyond the plate. His answer: a veritable food revolution. ‘We are going to fundamentally change food production, and our own eating and drinking habits are also set for a major overhaul. Everything will become less, better, more transparent, purer, healthier and, above all, tastier.’
How do we keep ourselves and the world healthy? Never before have we all been so aware of the impact our food has. Not only on our own health, but on that of the entire world. Technological developments mean that animals are increasingly making way for plants. And do you already find that intense? Vincent: ‘Don’t be surprised if crops and other ingredients soon come from factories and are assembled by robots.’
1 VEGANIZING CLASSICS
It’s no secret: the Dutch cabinet wants to tackle the high consumption of meat in the Netherlands and is investigating the possibility of introducing a meat tax. The balance in the consumption of animal and plant-based proteins should shift from the current 60/40 ratio to 50/50 by 2030, if the cabinet has its way. As a result, meat will become more expensive, while meat substitutes will become increasingly advanced. The plant-based 3D-printed steak is already on the menu at many restaurants (Ron Blaauw Gastrobar, Loetje), but even fancy classics are not escaping the trend. Vincent: ‘Classics such as foie gras, veal sweetbreads and Peking duck are being completely veganized. A feat of cutting-edge technology from producers is making even the meatiest meat redundant.’ Food Inspiration, the inspiration platform for food & hospitality professionals, is also seeing the plant-based offering on our plates continue to grow. Flavorful vegetarian and vegan dishes are also appearing more and more on the menus of mainstream concepts and large chains.
2 SPICY TIMES
These are spicy times, not only in the world around us, but also on our plates. Vincent: ‘It’s all about flavor, flavor, flavor next year. We want to be blown away by fiery peppers and experience the forces of nature through impressive herbs and spices. Sugar and salt are disappearing.’
3 WASTE BECOMES A FEAST
Nose-to-tail cooking is no longer reserved for frikandellen and rural cuisine. Vincent: ‘Every food-waste component that would normally be thrown away not only gets a second life, but also inspires new dishes. The garbage bin can go to the scrap heap.’ And here we’re drinking wine from bag-in-boxes as glass becomes increasingly scarce.
4 VERTICAL FARMING
Vincent: ‘It is emerging in restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and shopping centers: vertical farming. Perfect vegetables and fruit, fresh from the stacked garden, without having to travel across the entire world.’ Eating in a vertical farm among different types of basil, lettuces, cilantro, oregano, endive and beet sprouts? At LOCALS in Arnhem, you can already do so.
5 FISH IS TABOO
Plastic in the sea is once again making way for fish. Vincent: ‘We realize that we need to stop overfishing and the terrible fish farms full of antibiotics. A new taboo: fish is becoming the new meat.’
6 FAST FOOD UNDER FIRE
Hamburger restaurants are an example of how things can no longer continue and will come under heavy fire, according to Vincent: ‘Sorry, Mac D., Burger K. and Colonel S.’
7 GIVING BACK
Vincent: ‘Going out for food and drinks without shame is only possible if you let people who are less fortunate share in it. The new shared dining!’
8 MINIMIZING YOU
Vincent: ‘We are enjoying minimal portions and will lose a great deal of weight next year. A piled-high plate is no longer of this time. Learning to halve!’
9 COLD BECOMES HOT
Energy prices are skyrocketing, and dishes such as rendang, which has to simmer for hours, are becoming the new gold. Vincent: ‘Everyone is more conscious than ever of energy use. The new way of cooking will be a cold piece of cake, with raw vegetables, cold soups and salads.’ Alongside it: a shot of soju, the most consumed spirit in the world, originating in Korea and slowly but surely conquering the world. It tastes a little like vodka, but with a mild flavor and without that burning sensation in your throat.
10 RECOGNIZABLE DISHES
Dots, stripes, gels and foams; all well and good, but Food Inspiration is already observing it: recognizable cooking is in—and this will only continue next year. We simply want to see what we’re eating. No quince foam, but quince presented in as pure and authentic a way as possible.
11 (HYPER)LOCAL INGREDIENTS
Why source food from far away when you can find it nearby? The use of local ingredients is growing, from sourcing within a small radius of a certain number of kilometers to using ingredients from one’s own (urban) garden. And this applies not only to the hospitality industry; supermarkets are also increasingly choosing products from their own country. For example, Lidl is stopping the airfreighting of vegetables and fruit.
12 SET MENUS
Also spotted by Food Inspiration: à la carte is increasingly being replaced by a set menu. The only choice guests still have to make is the number of courses. Every day, the chef searches for the best deals and finest seasonal products and creates a (daily) changing menu.
13 CHAOS COOKING
Forget fusion cooking, chaos cooking is the new trend. This is a style of cooking in which chefs from diverse ethnic backgrounds—who are expected to cook dishes from the rich cultures of their (fore)parents—create the most extraordinary combinations with flair and daring. Unrestrained seems to be the keyword. Ravioli with cheeseburger filling, pepperoni pizza dumplings, tostadas with sashimi; as long as it tastes good, anything goes.
14 HYDROPONICS AT THE TABLE
Plants are becoming an increasingly important addition to hospitality interiors, and their use is not merely decorative. Plants help dampen sound and are used sustainably as partitions. Totally hot in 2023 is hydroponics: letting plants take root and grow in water at the table.
15 PREMIUM GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES
The toasted sandwich with melted cheese and ham is indispensable in every sports canteen. But beyond sports fields and school cafeterias, we’re seeing increasingly sophisticated toasted sandwiches. Over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches; the toastie is undergoing premiumization, according to Food Inspiration. The number of concepts centered around better toasties is growing.
16 FERMENTATION GOES MAINSTREAM
In fine-dining restaurants, fermentation has long been accepted as a cooking technique for adding depth, umami and acidity to dishes. Increasingly, fermented dishes are also appearing at more casual establishments.
17 FORGOTTEN CUTS OF MEAT
To conclude where we began: are we going to stop eating meat altogether? No, because every trend also brings a countertrend. We will eat different cuts of meat, though; forgotten cuts are becoming increasingly popular. Bavette, skirt steak, flat iron, flank steak, diamond tenderloin and picanha. The latter is even the BBQ steak of 2023. Delicious with a full-bodied red wine.
