top 10 food trends 2024
10 food trends that are making a strong entrance in 2024
Herbs and flowers are expected to boom in both pastries and drinks
In terms of food, everything indicates that 2024 will be the year of consolidation of the trends that we have already seen in recent times. Now, more than ever, the future of gastronomy could be summed up in one word: contrasts. From the proliferation of healthy foods to the consolidation of increasingly sophisticated ultra-processed foods; from the commitment to the environment to the popularization of takeaway food; from plant-based cuisine to the boom in quality meats; from the commitment to small producers and local foods to the proliferation of gourmet ingredients from the other side of the world.
Thus, in 2024, the main food trends also show us the opposite and show us what we already knew: that while a privileged part of the world is moving towards a healthy, plant-based, sustainable, eco-friendly and local diet, the other continues to suffer the health and psychosocial consequences of having an inadequate diet. The director of the NGO Food Justice, Javier Guzmán, explains: “We have left a fundamental right such as food in the hands of private companies in the face of the passivity of governments. There is not a single public policy on food.” If we talk about trends, this would probably be the main one.
Healthy eating will continue to set the trend in 2024
While this is happening, new appliances, ingredients and lifestyle trends are emerging , haute cuisine restaurants are becoming established and luxury is becoming part of the daily lives of many. These are just some of the main trends that will prevail in 2024.
Plant-based cuisine
The director of the cooking school La Patente in Barcelona, Àngels Puntas, points out that plant-based or vegan cuisine is going to be a hit in the coming months. “Both people who are vegetarian and vegan and many others who are not agree that a plant-based diet is healthier, more nutritious and sustainable.” Puntas points out that unprocessed plant-based foods will continue to set the trend, from whole grains to wheat alternatives such as buckwheat “and others that contribute to providing emotional solutions to those people who have decided not to consume foods of animal origin out of conviction.” These include “so-called vegan cheeses and sausages, vegetable burgers, legume flours and many fourth and fifth range products that improve the daily lives of vegans and vegetarians,” says the director of La Patente.
Foods 'without'
One thing that hospitality and catering staff agree on is that one of the most striking phenomena of recent times has been the proliferation of allergies and intolerances . “If at first we started talking about gluten-free foods, then lactose-free and later cow's milk protein-free, now the time has come for fructose-free foods, which are beginning to be developed,” explains Puntas. According to the chef, allergy or intolerance to fructose is becoming more common and very limiting, since it eliminates many garden products with a large quantity of nutrients. In order to take advantage of its benefits, various companies are already working on the development of foods free of this sugar that is so present in our diet.
Consolidation of the 'healthy'
The consolidation of healthy eating is evident in trends such as “the consumption of probiotics, present in foods such as kimchi or sauerkraut , for example; the popularization of caffeine-free infusions or organic foods; the creation of new healthy snacks and appetizers; the increase in non-GMO cereals or the popularization of diets such as Ayurvedic diets, to name just a few examples,” says Puntas.
Air fryers are associated with healthy eating
On the other hand, the rise of healthy cooking has led to the introduction of new cooking methods, which are becoming more and more common in restaurants and homes. Traditional frying has been replaced by oven or steam cooking, so appliances such as air fryers are here to stay. “It is called a fryer, but in reality it is a mini-oven that makes everyday life much easier, as it allows you to cook many foods in a healthy, quick and easy way.”
The rise of herbs and flowers
Seyma Ozkaya, owner and manager of the bakery, restaurant and gourmet products store Funky Bakers, in Barcelona, a place where the latest trends from around the world emerge, predicts for 2024 “a boom in herbs and flowers both in pastries and drinks, since the visual impact of using them is very interesting.” Chef Iolanda Bustos agrees with her, an all-round cook specialising in cooking with flowers, who currently has her own vegetable garden and garden at the rural establishment Mas Generós, in the province of Girona, an old restored farmhouse whose garden is the nerve centre around which life at the hotel revolves. “Cooking with flowers and herbs is something as special as changing our way of looking at the landscape, connecting with an animal instinct when it comes to relating to nature that we have been losing, but which is still there,” says Bustos, who in the menu at Mas Generós explores all the possibilities of plants, flowers and herbs in a large number of recipes.
Edible flowers
Non-alcoholic cocktails
The latest edition of Bar Convent Berlin (BCB), the world's largest trade fair dedicated to the beverage industry, reserved a space for non-alcoholic cocktails, as they are undoubtedly the hottest trend in cocktails. Its director, Petra Lassahn, explained: “This year, the so-called Low & No Bar has been a key pillar at BCB, as there is a consumer profile that does not drink alcohol, but equally demands stimulation, ingenuity and creativity.” This is confirmed by bartender Alberto Pizarro, brand ambassador for Dilmah, who is currently working on a line of products for non-alcoholic cocktails. “After all, not drinking alcohol is associated with positive intangible values, such as health or lifestyle , and many people have joined the trend with the idea that not drinking alcohol gives you things instead of taking them away.” Funky Bakers' Ozkaya also notes this: “Now more than ever, sober is sexy and drinks like kombucha are making a strong entrance as a replacement for, say, champagne, while others like Gimber, an organic drink made from herbs and ginger, are set to expand their markets.”
Circular gastronomy
Concern for the environment affects restaurateurs, producers, distributors and consumers alike, so that reusing is going to become a constant. “Reducing waste, recycling and reusing food to return it to the biological cycle is going to be an unstoppable trend. From banana peels to nuts or legumes, among others, they are going to have a new life,” explains Puntas. For his part, the chef and owner of the restaurant My Fucking Restaurant, in Barcelona, Matteo Bertozzi, who bases his philosophy on zero waste , is committed to “reusing leftover vegetables to make distillates and also to produce fertilizers and compost.”
Luxury becomes popular
While the cost of the shopping basket is rising and more and more households are experiencing serious difficulties in coping, the consumption of luxury products continues to grow throughout the world. Ozkaya explains: “Some foods that have traditionally been considered luxury, such as oysters, caviar or lobster, are expanding their markets and their consumption is no longer something occasional, typical of celebrations, but rather becoming part of everyday life in many homes.”
World vs. local
“Generation Zeta is adventurous and intrepid, curious about a type of gastronomy that goes beyond trends and demands products from all over the planet, from Africa to Turkey or Sri Lanka,” explains Ozkaya. This multicultural and cross-border vocation contrasts with another trend in vogue: the retreat into seasonal and local products. Thus, while administrations and institutions are multiplying campaigns on the benefits of consuming local products, the dynamics of globalization bring ingredients and dishes from the other side of the planet to our homes with just a click. Two contradictory trends that, however, will coexist in 2024 among consumers whose decisions tend to be increasingly complex.
The new generations seek to expand their gastronomic repertoire
The experience at the center
That diners prefer to enjoy a complete experience, beyond the fact of filling their stomachs, is demonstrated by haute cuisine restaurants where eating becomes more of a spectacle than a necessity. According to the global market research company Euromonitor International in its report on future trends, in the medium term (i.e. within 50 years) the so-called premiumisation will have taken over the gastronomic panorama and the restaurants we visit will be places that will offer us gastronomic experiences beyond the simple fact of eating.
The rise of 'ghost kitchens'
Along the same lines, everyday cooking, those battle recipes that we usually find in home-based establishments, will be in the hands of ghost kitchens in the medium term, something that is already beginning to be noticed today. According to Euromonitor International, the efficiency and infrastructure of ghost kitchens will make them unbeatable. “Cutting fresh broccoli, steaming it, chopping whole fish, preparing broths, boiling sauces… in the future, all of this will no longer be done in the restaurant kitchen, but in ghost kitchens ,” reveals the report.
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