Kaffir lime leaves, horseradish and sardines top on-trend ingredients poll
They are joined by kimchi, rice flour and Asian condiment sriracha in the list of foods that are in the process of moving from local staples to global favourites, fuelled by the accelerated pace of culinary communication and collaboration.
The Future of Food report, published by Hong Kong-based communications consultancy CatchOn, points out that the likes of kimchi are being paired with, or used in, non-traditional dishes, such as burgers. Core Asian foodstuffs including ginger and sriracha are cropping up ever more frequently across the globe.
In parallel to the internationalisation of ingredients, local food-heritage specialities are also being revived, along with practices such as pickling, yoghurt-making, beekeeping and tending kitchen gardens (even on urban rooftops).
Compiled from a survey of chefs, writers, academics and food experts, the report confirms that, while culinary tourism is growing, it is changing. If food and wine tours and chefs’ cooking courses are ‘done’, then agro-tourism and foraging trips with chefs are next.
The Future of Food also dentifies the most happening dining/food cities, and the next generation of gastrodestinations.
The former list includes Bangkok, Brooklyn, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and Lima, while emerging ones are listed below.
Eight emerging epicurean capitals:
- Beirut, Lebanon – for its rich farms, orchards, vineyards and waters
- Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – for its cheap eats, pho and first-rate coffee
- Istanbul, Turkey – for combining flavours from south-east Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- La Paz, Bolivia – for its biological diversity in terms of agricultural produce
- Ljubljana, Slovenia – for its produce, wines and seafood; a perfect mix of Balkan and European
- Manila, Philippines – for being a food-loving culture where an economic boom could finally trigger a culinary revival
- São Paulo, Brazil – for putting Brazilian food back on the map, thanks to young chefs focusing on local ingredients and tradition
- Shanghai, China – for having the world’s best soup dumplings next door to a modern Michelin-starred restaurant
