Predictions for 2005-2010

[PurpleDingo99]

It seems like fondues have been coming back for a few years now, but I honestly cant see them becoming totally mainstream this decade. Im not going to pull anyone's leg and say I totally have my finger on the pulse, but it seems entrees are becoming sweeter (prunes' growing popularity, for starters.) Alinea looks particularly on the sweet side, for starters.

I have this crazy idea that peruvian food is going to start coming alive in America soon, as well. Right up the street from us, my grandpa's new appartment complex (about 80 units) is populated almost entirely by peruvians. One of them is bound to eventually open a restaurant. If peruvian prepared right is as great as they say, and if this town is as ready for new restaurants as it looks, then it should catch on instantly. They definitely are not the only peruvians in town, and im sure our town is not alone. Eventually, someone will open a really good one and itll take over like wildfire.

[melkor]

There are countless peruvian places in san francisco - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them pop up elsewhere. North african (tunesian/moroccan/algerian) food is also gaining popularity out here, though it's far less common than peruvian.

[iheartoffal]

I'm hoping that this Atkins/South Beach nonsense will finally, finally go the way of the dodo. I'm tired of going to all of my favorite restaurants only to find that my favorite sandwich has been replaced by some tortilla wrapped "guilt-free" travesty. Too many restaurants--some of them very decent places--have adjusted and tweaked their menus to appease these low carb crazed maniacs, often to the detrement of the food. I hope this will soon come to a long overdue end.

Sorry, I needed to get that off my chest.

Edited February 22, 2005 by iheartoffal (log)

[jhlurie]

I see Fennel Seed being THE spice of 2009!

Actually I'm totally making that up.

Okay, let's try again.

-Splenda will OFFICIALLY be in everything.

-Soybeans will be a bit passe.

-Someone will put vegetables in Ice Cream and sell it commercially.

-Rocco will NOT have a career rebound.

-Nabisco will make one too many product spinoffs and the weight of the useless Oreo and Chips Ahoy variants will buckle supermarket shelves.

-Martha Stewart will be the next Martha Stewart

[ChefSwartz]

commercial vegetables in ice cream already available in central america along with fish, blood, pork, beef, etc. everything ice cream. nasty huh!

[jhlurie]

commercial vegetables in ice cream already available in central america along with fish, blood, pork, beef, etc. everything ice cream. nasty huh!

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Yes, but it will become a mainsteam item, obviously! I imagine:

Ben & Jerry's Broco-Choco

Hagen-Daaz Fudge Lima Swirl

Breyer's Vanilla Corn

etc.

Or not.

[Pan]

Well, in terms of the USA, we can predict certain things based on a presumption about the likelihood of current immigration patterns continuing. For one thing, I think we can expect an increasing number of Mainland Chinese immigrants, many of them from the northern part of the country. I think we can expect more Northern Chinese restaurants, and more Shanghainese ones, too, in addition to Cantonese and other regional styles. Same thing in terms of India -- more restaurants, and more regional ones. I also expect more immigration from Africa, so there could be some proliferation of some African cuisines in places where a sufficient clientele settles. Clearly, Latin Americans will continue to come, which is what makes a prediction about Peruvian food reasonable, but it might be equally likely that Argentinian, Dominican, Guatemalan, or Colombian food could become mainstream. I think that in general, food in the US will become more East, South, and Southeast Asian, more Latin-American, and more African than it is now.

And what of the future of cuisine in other countries? There are a lot of Moroccan immigrants in Spain. Will Spanish food get a new infusion of Moorish influence? Any effect on Italian cuisine from Albanian immigrants? Will Acehnese refugees in Malaysia popularize local specialties (whatever those are)? As more Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel, will Ethiopian food become a big-time thing there? Beats me. I will say this, though: I think that certain countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and Israel that are used to thinking of themselves as lands of immigrants may well be more open to influences from immigrants than some of the European countries I mentioned.

One thing I wonder about is how the tremendous movements of refugees in Africa may be affecting local cuisines. Of course, many of the refugees and their hosts are suffering from food scarcity in the first place...

[ChefSwartz]

hey that vanilla corn sounds kinda good maybe a little poblano 2?

DIIIIEEEEEEE ATIKINNNNNNNSSSSS DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

its funny it lasted right to the point when people realized no more bread or potatoes.

its just a matter of time before there are enough people from EVERY country here on earth living in the us trying to make a buck and they all end up opeing a restaurant with his or her food. lucky us, too bad they will all be in NY and CAL.

Edited February 22, 2005 by ChefSwartz (log)

[PurpleDingo99]

There are countless peruvian places in san francisco - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them pop up elsewhere.  North african (tunesian/moroccan/algerian) food is also gaining popularity out here, though it's far less common than peruvian.

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Thats odd- i live in east bay (livermore,) but i honestly eat in SF only a few times a year. I have never seen a peruvian place around town (not that i have specifically looked for them, but still...) The only north african place Ive heard about around here is an ethiopian place a bit of ways away (danville or fremont comes to mind.)

And I totally forgot about the mainland chinese influence. It will be intresting to see how soon traditional dishes start popping up.

[petite tête de chou]

Russian everything.

Russian clothes, food and drink. Especially if it incorporates elements from their pre-Soviet history.

[jhlurie]

Michael,

It IS always a good assumption that in the American market, as the years pass, the number of "ethnic" restaurants will increase.

I'd go a step further and assume that perhaps the trend will continue of these immigrants heading not for the Northeast anymore, but instead to the Southwest and West.

We do need some definitions here though, and they may be impossible to provide. What level of ubiquitousness really equals "mainstream" for example? Does that mean that it will appear in lots of recipe books that year? Or have the hot new opening in Manhattan? Be in the 20 largest cities? Or will there be at least one in every podunk mall food court?

[Pan]

You're right; "mainstream" is hard to define. But let's try.

Undoubtedly, Italian (i.e., Italian-American) food is mainstream. What could be more "American" than pepperoni pizza or spaghetti and meatballs? Chinese (again, Chinese-American) is surely mainstream. You can find "Chinese" restaurants all over the country, many with more or less the same takeout/eat in menus though separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. Mexican (again, Mexican-American) is definitely mainstream, given the spread of Taco Bell. What other "foreign" foods are mainstream? Sushi is pretty mainstream, I think, at least on both coasts and various urban areas. I'm not sure whether you can find sushi in rural Iowa or not, though I bet you could find pizzerie. And then there is the Greek diner, bringing Spanakopita, Avgolemono Soup, and Moussaka far and wide. Of course I'm oversimplifying, as many Greek diners do not feature Greek food to any significant extent and "Mexican" food is nowhere near evenly distributed throughout the country. Nevertheless, by these standards of popularity and ubiquity, I don't think anything else "foreign" is truly mainstream in the US yet.

[jackal10]

After the US crash of 2007, soup kitchen cuisine becomes the next chic; the food riots of 2008 are supressed sternly.

Meantime in heavily guarded gated communities talented chefs prepare micro-cuisine for the satiated;

China increases in prosperity and recreates some of the imperial court food and traditions; Europe fares not too badly with the cylical return to Cuisine Grandmere;

[EdS]

There are countless peruvian places in san francisco - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them pop up elsewhere.  North african (tunesian/moroccan/algerian) food is also gaining popularity out here, though it's far less common than peruvian.

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Thats odd- i live in east bay (livermore,) but i honestly eat in SF only a few times a year. I have never seen a peruvian place around town (not that i have specifically looked for them, but still...)...

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I think what's happened is that several high-profile Peruvian restaurants like Limon and the small Fresca chain in San Francisco and have drawn more attention to Peruvian food. There have always been Peruvian restaurants here and there but I don't recall anyone trying to take it to a higher level and getting the publicity for it until recently. There really does seem to be a trend developing in SF. I hope it spreads across the Bay Area and elsewhere. Peruvian could be the next Thai if people have a chance to sample it. The thing I miss most about my trip to Peru last year is the food. The Art of Peruvian Cuisine has some examples of Peruvian food. Nobu is very much a Peruvian-Japanese seafood place. The cuisine is rather broad given the Asian, European, African, and native American influences. Rather than some sort of fusion forced by some creative chef, Peruvian is a fusion refined over many years by many people. To me, it's fusion done right.

Edited February 22, 2005 by esvoboda (log)

[touaregsand]

There are countless peruvian places in san francisco - I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them pop up elsewhere.  North african (tunesian/moroccan/algerian) food is also gaining popularity out here, though it's far less common than peruvian.

←

Thats odd- i live in east bay (livermore,) but i honestly eat in SF only a few times a year. I have never seen a peruvian place around town (not that i have specifically looked for them, but still...) The only north african place Ive heard about around here is an ethiopian place a bit of ways away (danville or fremont comes to mind.)

And I totally forgot about the mainland chinese influence. It will be intresting to see how soon traditional dishes start popping up.

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Just for clarification, not to split hairs with you at all.

North Africa refers to the Maghreb countries of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco (the couscous countries). In the States sometimes Libya and Egypt are included, but they are on the otherside of what has been called the "couscous line" and the cuisine become more Middle Eastern.

[Jensen]

Thats odd- i live in east bay (livermore,) but i honestly eat in SF only a few times a year. I have never seen a peruvian place around town (not that i have specifically looked for them, but still...) The only north african place Ive heard about around here is an ethiopian place a bit of ways away (danville or fremont comes to mind.)

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There's a Peruvian restaurant in Berkeley. I know that because I've been there but I don't remember the name of it and I don't know Berkeley well enough to even tell you what street it's on. I do remember climbing a lot of stairs to get to the restaurant though.

[misstenacity]

After the US crash of 2007, soup kitchen cuisine becomes the next chic; the food riots of 2008 are supressed sternly.

Meantime in heavily guarded gated communities talented chefs prepare micro-cuisine for the satiated;

China increases in prosperity and recreates some of the imperial court food and traditions; Europe fares not too badly with the cylical return to Cuisine Grandmere;

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I read this post as "only half-joking", and I think it has just as likely a chance of happening as fennel seed becoming the next hot spice. Read many Richard Clarke articles and you'll be hording soup ingredients, too.

I know I loves me some fennel seed tea, after all...

Andrea

http://tenacity.net

[jgm]

Whatever the foreign influence, bring it on. While dining on Vietnamese food at lunch today, I couldn't help but be thankful for the Southeast Asian and Middle East influences on local food. Without them, we'd all still be stuck on Big Macs and chicken fried steak.

Of course, trends tend to hit the Midwest a few years later than the coasts. So we'll be enjoying whatever predictions come true, in 2011-2020.

[NulloModo]

There is a Peruvian restaurant near where I live as well, and Bear, DE isn't exactly a metropolis. Actually, it is Cuban/Peruvian/Puerto Rican, and Chilean, with some traditional dishes and entrees from each cuisine, really good stuff.

[chefzadi]

I really see Maghreb cuisine slowly building momemtum. A lot of French restaurants in LA have at least one or two (if not more) items on the menu that reflect the influence of North African immigrants in France and of course France's former role as a colonizer. Couscous is very popular in France, a few years ago in a poll citizens named it as their favorite dish.

Many of the dishes from the Maghreb can be easily incorporated into existing restaurants, not just French. It would be quite easy for say Italian, Spanish and of course Middle Eastern restaurants to "ride" the trend by adding a few dishes.

The flavors are also something that Americans are pretty familiar with and cooking it at home would mean adding just a few more ingredients to the pantry. It's one the great cuisines of the world, the range of dishes is vast. I really think that it has the right combination of familiarity and exoticism to become a permanent part of the American culinary landscape.

[nr706]

Of course, trends tend to hit the Midwest a few years later than the coasts.

Not sure I agree with this, at least in my neck of the Midwest. Afghan has been getting hot here lately, as well as Nigerian. And the Argentinian places are true fusion cuisine, very different from the nearly passé Brazilian.

But the next big trend has to be native Antarctican food. Sends chills down my spine just thinking about it.

[Tess]

I'd like to see more Russian and (especially) Polish food in Chicago, including on an upscale level or at least Lettuce Entertain You level. Not going to happen, though, I don't think.

[rich]

Foam will subside and be taken over by flecks.

$2 Chuck will end and be replaced by $1 Louie. The marketing campaign will focus on a free lifetime membership to WA (winos anonymous).

Tall food will return, but it will be served in waffle cones placed in wire holders, thus eliminatting the need for any type of flatware.

The NY Times will abandon its four-star rating system and replace it with a multi-layered 16 level "toque" system, where each restaurant will be judged solely on its ability to produce menu items with un-pronounceable names.

The current NY Times chief food critic will resign in 2006 to become the PR Director for the Fashion Institute of Technology, where his first act will to be to ban all hard rock music from the sewing classes.

The need for two-month in-advance reservations at Per Se will be eliminated in 2007. From then on, a deposit of $750 to cover to the first two courses of a 38.75- course tasting menu will be required 22.37 months in advance. However, if you opt for the 4x3 tasting menu, you will need to supply the restaurant with four valid forms of photo identification and indicate your next three kins.

Finally, at the end of 2008, Steven Shaw will resign from eGullet to become the CEO of a new on-line bikini wax firm for men. His first order of buisiness will be to improve the company's website by including interactive waxing demonstrations.

Edited February 22, 2005 by rich (log)

[chefzadi]

Quoting Pan

Europe is changing rapidly. There are of course the countries that were colonial powers. For instance England and France have absorbed alot of their post-colonials. Hence the popularity of Indian food in the UK and Algerian couscous in France. On the other hand in Spain the population of post colonials is very small. I don't know if the Moroccan immigrants will bring on a new influx of Moorish influences. In Andalusia it never really went away. It goes the other way as well, the Spaniards were in North Africa of course. They left a dish called Paella in Oran, of course we add spices to it. The North African influences can be seen in Southern Italy as well. The history of the Mediterranean is one of conquests and trade. A generation ago people didn't talk so much about cross cultural influences, maybe the older folks were more nationalistic.

Maybe my parents would have said something like, "There is nothing European about North African cookery." And the Europeans might have said "there is nothing North African (Moorish or Arab) about our cookery." My generation has a more open attitude overall. An old Frenchman told me that his generation was more like vertical and that mine is more horizontal, meaning more egalitarian.

It would be exciting to see what happens in the area.

[nr706]

I'd like to see more Russian and (especially) Polish food in Chicago, including on an upscale level or at least Lettuce Entertain You level. Not going to happen, though, I don't think.

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Upscale Russian: Russian Tea Time

Upscale Polish: Lutnia