Food Trends for 2012

What's in store for 2012. Easy.

Obviously I think that chefs and home cooks will become more interested in Japanese knives. The more that people use them they realize that a lighter, sharper knife is a great idea especially when it stays sharp longer. Also people will start looking for super high performance cooking gear, even if it’s not dishwasher safe. Think hand hammered copper pots.

Bincho-tan charcoal is the future.

Super pure Binchō-tan char coal from Japan will create a major buzz this summer.

Right now everybody is braising with red wine, garlic, bacon and bold rich flavours, smokers are being used to maximum effort and fatty charcuterie is de rigour. I think that food will lighten up and clean up flavour wise. Think Japanese food based on raw or gentle cooked fish with very few ingredients based on miso, soba noodles, dashi and yuzu. Also Spanish food will continue it’s rise with simply grilled fish, olive oil, nuts and fresh herbs.

Paleo Diet is hot. BTW Pierre Lamielle was the kid in this film.

Eating habits will continue changing toward lower carbohydrate diets. Look at the popularity of #Paleo diet on Twitter and among the CrossFit crowd (biggest workout trend for the next year I predict) and Gary Taubs book “Why We Get Fat”. Carbs are tastey and awesome but looks like they are not terribly healthy after all. Sorry to bring you the bad news.

Sustainable fishing. Yum yum.

Meat and fish is gonna be even more popular in the coming year, but properly sourced. Customers will be asking questions of their meat’s provinence (health, free range, local, drug free, properly fed). Of fish people will be looking more and more for sustainable catching practices and heavy metal levels. I know this is happening now, but it will become almost a religion I hope.

Gluten free will be the new cholesterol free.

Fresh pomegranates will finally get the respect they deserve.