Tinned Fish Revolution
Earlier this year, a TikTok video featuring a tinned fish date night went viral. In 2023, Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s trends expert, expects to see the continued rise of creative, shareable tinned fish spreads. “Tinned fish is not only starting to play a bigger role on our plates, but it’s also expanding our horizons, taste buds, and appreciation for trying new things, which adds to the appeal,” she says. Although the “seacuterie boards” are making waves, Wild Planet Foods marketing director Shannon Daily is seeing different varieties of of tinned fish to infuse all sorts of home-cooked meals. “Sardines are appearing in shakshuka, flatbreads, pates, and tartines. Anchovies are making their way into frittatas, fried rice, and even potato salad. Mackerel is showing up on pizza, fish tacos, and fish stew,” she says. If you’ve never browsed the tinned fish aisle of your grocery store beyond canned tuna before, now’s your chance to branch out.
Authenticity Over Shortcuts
Since the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen is always working several months in advance to provide recipes for the magazine and other publications, they usually have a pretty good idea of when a new food trend is about to hit. Sarah Brekke, Test Kitchen brand manager, is especially noticing the desire for recipes made the old school way. “I have been seeing development requests for more ‘authentic’ or regional recipes,” she says. “And by that I mean homemade croissants but the 2- to 3- day classic method—not the shortcut.”
Pasta Alternatives 2.0
Gluten-free pastas made from chickpeas, lentils, and rice are taking permanent residence in many pantries these days. There was also a boom in recipes featuring fresh “noodles” made from zucchini, squash, and other produce. Up next, Whole Foods predicts a new wave of plant-based pasta alternatives to “help us all up our veggie and fruit intake.” Expect to find more pasta options in the store made from spaghetti squash, hearts of palm, and even green bananas.
Dates Everywhere
Dates are an ancient Middle Eastern fruit that date back to the 18th century. “Dates have acted as both a sustenance food for traveling nomads and a feasting treat fit for kings and queens,” says Diana Jarrar, founder and CEO of Magic Dates. “It’s an old-world fruit that has continued to be a necessary staple throughout the years.” So it’s a crop that isn’t new by any means, but it is showing up more and more in commercial products and as a staple ingredient. Enjoy them on their own as a snack or find them used as a natural sweetener in the form of syrups, sauces, and more.
Nostalgic Eats
In celebration of Better Homes & Garden’s 100th birthday, there’s been a lot of retro food talk around here. Not only did BHG reminisce about the food trends of the past 100 years, but the social media world started to recreate dishes. In the next year, expect to see more #vintagerecipes, which already has 31.3 million views on TikTok. Whole Foods reports you will also start seeing remixed versions of childhood favorites with a more wellness-focused twists in stores. Think macaroni and cheese, pizza bites, prebiotic soda, and more.
Regional Pizzas
When you think of chowing down on a slice of gooey, cheesy pizza, what kind is it? Is it thick crust, thin crust, or deep-dish? There are endless varieties of pizza in different parts of the world. In New York or Naples, you might find yourself with a wood-fired, chewy-crunchy crust. Then there’s Chicago with the cheese-on-the-bottom deep dish pizza or a thick sheet-pan pizza á la Detroit-style. All these types of pizza are already here and oh-so delicious, but don’t be surprised to see more varieties showing up in your stores or restaurants.
Sweet and Savory Pairings
The hot-and-sweet combination continues to be a trend, but the more savory-salty side of flavors along with sweet notes is on the rise. This is a trend that chefs are utilizing to make unique dishes, but you can practice blending these flavors at home, too. Instead of a normal caramel sauce, you might want to try making it with fish sauce to glaze over ribs. Or maybe you’ll enjoy savory miso blended into buttercream for a cookie topper. These funky, savory ingredients mixed with sweet may seem strange, but they add a unique depth of flavor. On the spice side of things, chaat masala—a spice blend from North India made with dried mango powder, cumin, coriander, dried ginger, salt , black pepper, asafetida, and chili powder—is a salty-savory-sweet combo predicted to take off according Spoonshot’s Food Brain 2023 report. Which of these food trends are you most excited about? There are bound to be plenty more food trends to arrive in 2023, but it’s already looking to be one seriously delicious year.
