Our Top 10 Food Trends of 2010 (and What They Mean for 2011)

The new year brings with it reflections and predictions. We sat down and discussed what we saw in 2010, and what we expect to see more of in 2011.

1. The Digital “Foodie”

With tools like Twitter, FourSquare and Yelp!, today’s epicureans have the culinary underground in the palm of their hands, and they plan to conquer. They track underground supperclub openings, food trucks, farmers markets and food blogs. The tech-savvy foodie also has instant access to a plethora of recipes, and when experimentation is the name of the game, the smartphone often acts as culinary instructor. The logical pairing of the tasty and the technological isn’t going anywhere in 2011, and we’re keeping an eye out for even more applications of guerrilla marketing to lure in this hungry demographic.

2. The HyperLocavore

Also called Food Patriotism, the trend of buying and eating local has been around for years. 2010 brought us the HyperLocavore, home gardeners who prefers to grow their own herbs and produce. This group made a name for themselves online through blogs and Internet Yardsharing communities. We’re not so sure that the do-it-yourself trend will extend to “Killavore,” but we definitely expect a new kind of garden root cellar complete with homemade pickling and preserves.

3. Ethical and Spiritual Dieting

From a dieting perspective, 2010 was all about aligning your approach to food with your approach to the world. We particularly enjoyed Michael Pollan’s recent venture, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, and continue to find his message of conscientious eating inspiring and healthful. We expect to see a resurgence of ethical and green-conscious diets in the next year, as well as spiritual diets like Geneen Roth’s Women, Food and God.

4. Gourmet Food Trucks

A new breed of foodie enjoyed a fresh take at street cuisine this year in the form of food trucks. The cheap and decidedly un-frilly taste-mobiles cropped up in cities across the country. We especially enjoyed the variety of foods presented by these meals-on-wheels, and noticed everything from Korean BBQ to Mexican in all shapes and styles to gourmet bratwurst and schnitzel to bread pudding and crème brulee. Many of the trucks rely solely on social media sites like Twitter to advertise their whereabouts, a convenient and cost-effective way to generate buzz with the Digital Foodie (see #1). Overall, the Gourmet Roach Coach is a fantastic medium to showcase innovative and cheap food, and we expect to see many more of them in the next few years.

5. Hand Pies

As delicious as the cupcake is, its time as the ruler of the Pantheon of Portable Pastries has come to a close. For its successor, we’ve got our money on the versatile and tasty hand pie. Baked or fried, sweet or savory, the hand pie is simply delicious and elicits a sense of down-home comfort that consumers crave in a convenient and waist-line friendly size. Keep a look out for artisan pie dough in markets for flexible home prep, as well as pre-made organic fillings.

6. Smoking (The Good Kind)

The last five years saw a resurgence of smoked foodstuffs in the restaurant industry, and the technique is expanding onto the shelves and home kitchens of amateurs. Smoking meats and foods is a simple way to infuse and intensify flavors without adding calories. Smoked fish proved that it’s not just for bagels in 2010, new cuts of meat are getting the smoking treatment, and even non-traditional smoked foodstuffs like bread and chocolate made a splash. Home smokers and “liquid smoke” also grew in popularity, letting home cooks take a crack at making their own smoky creations from the simple pork to smoked fish pates.

7. One Package, Many Uses

The importance of food packaging continued to grow in 2010, marked by innovations aimed at upping practicality and simplicity for the user. Heinz introduced dual-usage ketchup packages that gave consumers the option to squeeze the packet in the traditional manner, or to dip their food directly into the packet. New package components also made an appearance, including lightweight and biodegradable paperboard trays, like the DeLight Solution by Stora Enso, that can be frozen and microwaved and offer shelf-life extension the foods contained within. We also noticed a new parchment package on the market that goes directly from prep to plate. The meals contained within can be cooked in a microwave or conventional oven right in the packet they came in; think sous vide meets microwave popcorn.

8. Low-Glycemic Index Sweeteners

Ah, will we never rest until we defeat sugar once and for all? We certainly made some headway in 2010. Natural plant-derived sweeteners such as xylitol and stevia were especially popular. Manufacturers gave particular attention to the Glycemic Index of sweeteners, which measures the spike in blood sugar as food is digested, a major factor in both type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Agave nectar, with its low GI and versatility, also made a splash and can be found in more than 300 products and growing. We also found several sweeteners that offered other health and wellness benefits, such as fiber, probiotics, and even purported relaxation.

9. Honey

This natural sweetener saw a lot of activity in 2010. Manufacturers treated us to honey-based vinegars and vodka distilled from the golden goo. 100% honey candies hit the shelves out of Canada (and it’s a little shocking we hadn’t seen that before, come to think of it). Honey even saw some controversy this year in the form of “honey-laundering,” and while we find that term adorable, we’re hoping that it won’t make a lasting effect on the apiary industry. Meanwhile, Chicago’s own local honey industry saw the entry of chef supported community assisted bee hives that guaranteed learning as well as product for their own inventive honey menus.

10. Relax!

Who doesn’t need a little relaxation these days? 2010 brought us a new way to think about eating and cooking, and it all about chilling out. Influences of the need-for-decreased-speed could be found throughout the food industry. The most popular diet books of the year were more likely to tell you to enjoy life than to starve yourself into a size 2. The beverage market saw an enormous boom in tea, as well as the rise of “calming” shots such as Tranquila and Unwind, purportedly soothing libations that seem to be the counterargument to 2009’s “energy” shots. The continued rise of “scratch” cooking, while still largely a product of frugality, became more of a philosophy than a chore. In the end, it’s all about enjoying yourself, and that’s one trend we hope to see a lot more of in 2011.