FREEPORT, Maine, Jan. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Headturning
charcuterie boards, inventive banana-infused drinks and desserts,
and new spins on Mexican comfort classics are among 10 major
influencers driving menu trends for 2022, predicts Flavor &
The Menu magazine in its newly released Top 10 Trends edition,
online at www.getflavor.com.
Each year, Flavor & The Menu editors Cathy Nash Holley and Katie Ayoub compile a set of trends that will
resonate with today's consumers and provide growth opportunities
for the restaurant industry. They highlight emerging flavor trends,
delivering insights that shed light on the "why" behind each of the
10. This iconic issue serves as a roadmap for innovation, providing
menu developers with ideas for in-market implementation.
"This year's collection of Top 10 Trends signals a shift,
whereby younger consumers are indeed in the driver's seat when it
comes to food and beverage trend inspirations," says Cathy Nash Holley, Flavor & The
Menu's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. "Our research has proven that
social media has advanced to a point at which restaurant trends are
becoming inspired by consumer behavior. This is the reverse of just
a couple years ago, when users allied with restaurants for their
personal brand-building efforts. Several of the trends covered in
this issue trace back to social media users' clever skills and
outsized influences."
Katie Ayoub, managing editor,
describes the phenomenon as the "democratization of innovation."
"Today's popular social media channels enable and inspire younger
consumers to showcase their creativity and passion for food and
beverage trends. These fun make-at-home trends—like charcuterie
boards, banana bread and pocket-fold quesadillas—catch fire quickly
in this space, gaining momentum and building enthusiasm for more
iterations. Chefs, pastry chefs and mixologists can springboard
from there, leveraging that newfound pop culture vibe, then take
these flavors and forms into new, exciting directions on their
menus," says Ayoub.
Flavor & The Menu's Top 10 Trends for
2022:
- Next-Level Charcuterie: Energized by social media,
charcuterie boards began their resurgence as the ultimate
shareable.
- Spanish Bocadillos: Spain's simple, rustic bocadillo is finding a
home on American menus.
- Modern Greek: Eschewing the kitschy "Americanized" Greek
that defined the cuisine for generations, restaurants are resetting
the dial with authentic recipes and ingredients.
- Tropical Flavors: With mood-boosting colors, vibrant
ingredients and an island-escape sensibility, the flavors of the
tropics offer escapism and joy.
- Mexican Comfort: Next-level tweaks of crave-worthy
dishes like quesadillas, taquitos and birria provide safe adventure
wrapped in homey comfort.
- Plant-based Seafood: Plant-based seafood is starting to
make waves on menus, as innovative suppliers introduce alternative
products to foodservice.
- Salt: Salt is gaining traction as both a flavor enhancer
and a high-impact flavor on its own.
- Savory Hand Pies: Concepts specializing in hand pies
have revved up the engines of innovation around empanadas, meat
pies, pasties, puffs and more.
- Bananas: Menu developers can peel back the layers of
possibility found in the humble banana: dialing up its tropical
tones, leaning into its Southern comfort or exploring eclectic
mash-ups.
- Cold-Coffee Drinks: Younger consumers are driving
innovation in cold-coffee beverages, driving menu innovation in a
wider array of applications, from new non-alc coffee tonics to a
broader use in cocktails.
Flavor & The Menu is published in print six
times a year, and distributed to chefs and menu-development
professionals nationwide. For more, visit us online at
www.getflavor.com; follow us on Instagram @GetFlavor.
CONTACT: Cathy Nash Holley
207.756.3875 (c)
328094@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Flavor & The Menu