FOOD TRENDS 2022

Every year new trends emerge in society. There are also some new developments in 2022 in the field of food that we would like to share.

Eating is an experience

In recent years we have seen food become much more of an experience rather than simply a necessity. This trend will also continue and develop in 2022. People are making eating a pleasurable activity.

You’ve probably seen the trend where the waiter comes right up to your table to make spaghetti carbonara in a large hollowed-out cheese ball. (You can experience this at Harry’s in Barcelona) Some dishes are served with smoke under a bell jar, while others are prepared at the table or can be picked up from an assembly line throughout the restaurant.

Nowadays, people can dine in an outdoor dining bubble, in a crane suspended in the air, under the stars, with a 360° view… Restaurants offer the most original concepts, the crazier and the more “Instragam worthy” the better. Also, more and more pop-up restaurants are being established. As you can see, restaurants focus more and more on the customer experience to stand out.

Vegan Forever 

Even more than in 2021, veggie and vegan food will make progress. Vegetarian or vegan cooking is finally being embraced by the general public. Even (star)chefs take vegan products into account. Nowadays you can also find restaurants that are completely vegetarian or vegan. These restaurants are often combined with a conscious approach to food waste and the environment. They are very popular, partly because of this. 

We are inspired by rich flavours from different cultures so that we no longer miss the meat component. For the real meat taste lovers, vegetarian or vegan products are now made so they can hardly be distinguished from the real.

A popular example of an upcoming meal is vegan fish. Vegan fish seems to be on the rise more and more. There are many alternatives on the market today. It is usually made of wheat protein processed with a liquid, adding some flavouring agents such as soy sauce.

Any excuse to celebrate

People have spent a lot of time at home for 2 years. Now that the end of the pandemic is in sight, everyone wants to forget this unpleasant time as soon as possible and use every excuse to celebrate or do something fun and get outside. We enjoy the little moments because they can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. That is why specialists also speak of a new ‘roaring twenties’ after the corona pandemic. People want to have a thriving social life again and are not afraid to consume a lot.

People have not been able to go out on terraces or eat out, so a food trend of 2022 is certainly the re-appreciation of restaurants.

TikTok food 

During the first lockdown in 2020, TikTok became extremely popular. One consequence of sitting inside for days was that people started cooking. It became a trend to make TikTok videos of it. Some dishes became popular at lightning speed and conquered the popular app. 

The success of the app offers explosive growth for gen Z cooks. The thing that makes TikTok outstanding is the speed of scale. If something goes viral, you can be one of the most popular TikTok chefs in a couple of weeks.

Now, two years later, TikTok still offers a lot of accounts with people who have improved their cooking skills during these two years. They sometimes show a whole meal or menu in a short TikTok video. The video’s on TikTok normally take 1 or 3 minutes, so the videos are not very extensive, which means that the dishes are often simply and quickly explained. 

One of the most famous recipes was the ‘feta pasta’. The only things you need are a baking dish, feta, cherry tomatoes and pasta. A dish that is easily attainable for everyone. Find the recipe for this meal here.

Podcast

In this podcast, we discuss some of our own experiences with the food trends of 2022.