Yes please: 19 food trends we’re happy to take into 2021

Nothing is as fickle as trends. Some food trends leave us exhausted, but these food trends are ones we’re happy to take into 2021. Happy New Year!

Loaded fries

Loaded fries—in other words, fries overloaded with surprising ingredients—are becoming increasingly popular in the snack world. Sure, we can order a kapsalon almost anywhere, but we’re going to see loaded fries much more often, both at snack bars and beyond. Yes, even De Efteling put fries with mushrooms and truffle mayonnaise on the menu this year. From Michelin-star loaded fries to snack-bar hits, the loaded-fries selection is becoming more luxurious, diverse and daring. Chefs upgrading low food is nothing new. Schilo van Coevorden, Sergio Herman and Ron Blaauw have been working with so-called ‘haute friture’ for some time, turning croquettes, frikandellen and fries into star-worthy snacks—with great success. But this year, culinarily responsible luxury snacks (and sandwiches, see below) will really take off. Fries with split-pea soup, salmon flakes, chocolate, ice cream, seaweed, lime mayonnaise, caviar and chimichurri—we’ll be seeing it all in 2021.

Special sandwiches

Alongside loaded fries, we’re also going to see more and more special sandwiches. Lunch is becoming the new dinner, and high-quality, culinary sandwiches will really be a hit this year. Think amazing toasted sandwiches from PAINDEMIE, so-called ‘Sando sandwiches’: Japanese sandwiches made with milk bread and filled with all sorts of things, such as the ‘wagyu katsu sando’, and special signature sandwiches, such as Sjefietshe’s Hotdoctopus to-go. Sandwiches that aren’t cheap, but are truly exceptionally delicious.

No milk today

We’re going to drink less milk. When we have coffee, we want to taste real coffee again, not a cup of hot milk. Sorry to all the latte, frappuccino and hazelnut macchiato lovers, or people who swear by cockroach milk, but we simply want black coffee: a strong espresso or, if necessary, an Americano.

Coffee as a flavor enhancer

Coffee is going to become an important flavor enhancer next year, anyway. In powdered or extract form in desserts, for example (of course, we only need two words for that: espresso martini!), in smoothies and in bars. Try making coffee butter, or add a splash of strong coffee to the sauce for the tastiest chili con carne. Absolutely delicious; it gives this dish (and other hearty South American recipes) a robust depth.

Straight spirits

After years of mixing and shaking, we’re rediscovering pure drinks. A glass of whisky, cognac or good rum, like we know from American TV series. Make sure you have a drinks cabinet stocked with the most important spirits and the right glassware next year, for when friends drop by unexpectedly.

Transparency

We want to recognize what’s on our plate and know exactly where it comes from and how it was made, both at home and in a restaurant. No artificial colors, flavors or flavorings, and no untraceable origins. No packets, no sachets, no processed foods, but pure nature.

No more waste

Olé! More and more attention is being paid to reducing food waste. Throwing away food in a world where so many people have nothing to eat is simply unacceptable, and initiatives such as Too Good To Go are being used by more and more people. Restaurants will also—partly out of necessity due to coronavirus—deal more consciously with preventing waste. Overloading the plate and then throwing half of it away isn’t luxury; it’s ridiculous—criminal, even!

Vegetables

They’ve been on the rise for years, but only now are we discovering how good it is to eat and drink more vegetables—because fruit is increasingly making way for vegetables in drinks, too. And on our plates, vegetables are increasingly pushing meat and fish aside. Find inspiration for the most delicious dishes with vegetables in the starring role here.

Sweet potato fries

This year, we almost silently said goodbye to avocado fries (yuck, who ever came up with that?!) and saw sweet potato fries appearing more and more often—what a joy. As far as we’re concerned, sweet potato fries are a trend that will continue into 2021. With special toppings, because loaded sweet potato fries are at least as delicious as ‘regular’ loaded fries! Just think of the ‘Sweet Fries of Mine’, the Best Fry of 2020 from Ter Marsch & Co.

Less hospitality

Many restaurants and bars will close, because even when we’re allowed to go out again, it will take a while before that actually happens. We’re now used to eating and drinking at home, and we’re seeing how much money we save by doing so. The hospitality businesses that remain will be the special ones, because when we go out, we want something unique—something we can’t eat at home.

Delivery deluxe

Now that even top chefs have discovered how important delivery and takeaway are for their businesses, more and more top-quality meals are being developed so people can cook at home at a high level. This is here to stay, because we won’t be dining out en masse next year, and this will help keep the hospitality industry afloat.

Baking bread

Freshly baked bread is the best thing there is. During quarantine, we discovered how satisfying it is to make our own bread, and we don’t want to go back to factory-made loaves. Instead of wine tastings, we’re taking courses to bake bread like a pro.

Spicy food

Times will remain tough for the foreseeable future; (homemade) sambal and chilies will once again bring a little heat to our lives next year. The trend was already underway, but the spicy trend will remain with us a little longer during these stressful times.

Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, appeared on almost every restaurant menu last year, and next year we’ll be serving this horribly ugly tuber at home more often, too. Braised, steamed, fried, deep-fried or roasted (with chicken, mmm!); it all goes!

Truffle mayonnaise

With steak tartare, truffle mayo over fries—what won’t it go with? Truffle mayonnaise is going to take off in a big way.

Sudachi

A cross between a mandarin and yuzu. The latest international citrus fruit to break through, because we can no longer do without that fresh, tart citrus flavor, and lemons and limes have suddenly become terribly ordinary.

Winter terraces

If we learned anything last year, it’s how wonderful it is to be outside and how lively streets become with winter terraces, food stalls, barbecues, mulled-wine stands, hot chocolate and really good split-pea soup. We’ll be holding on to that for a little longer next year.

Hot lunch

Now that we’re at home more, we’re discovering how delicious it is to have a hot lunch and eat something lighter in the evening. We’re also having much more elaborate breakfasts than we used to, because the day starts much more happily with a lovely breakfast.

Stews

Every trend also comes with a countertrend. So alongside the culinary snacks you eat alone, we’ll also see plenty of comfort food meant to be shared. Think paella, bouillabaisse and stews with a spicy twist, such as Jollof, West Africa’s most popular rice dish. Because food connects us. And people are longing more than ever to sit around the table together again.

Also read: 

• Snackspert looks back: these are the best snacks of 2020
• Staff tell all: these are the strangest orders ever
• These are hospitality staff’s favorite late-night snacks

Image: Ter Marsch & Co