FOOD TRENDS
Menu trends that went to the max at the National Restaurant Show
The annual event is the place to showcase new ingredients, flavors and formats, and this year’s array didn’t disappoint.
W ill the sweet-heat trend start to cool down? Have plant- based meats gone out to pasture? The annual National Restaurant Show in Chicago is the place to find the answers to those questions—and see what’s next. I walked through aisles and aisles of exhibits and attended a multitude of educational sessions and tastings both in and outside of McCor- mick Place to bring you the top menu trends I spotted. BY PATRICIA COBE SENIOR EDITOR RESTAURANT BUSINESS
Fermentation not only preserves food, it intensifies umami—that elu - sive savory fifth taste. At its booth at the Show, Waring introduced Planit POD, a new fermentation system de- signed to ferment and pasteurize plant-based proteins such as tem- peh and koji in 24 hours. Chef Jeremy Umansky prepared chickpea tempeh and a Middle Eastern spiced meat mix, both of which exploded with flavor through mold-based fermentation, which forms a crisp, intensely flavorful crust on the proteins as well. Caviar has long been a delicacy targeted to high-end restaurants, but it’s not cost-effective or sustainable
There was a flood of beverages at the Show, with energy drinks, fruity lemonades, alcohol-free sparklers, boba, coffee, tea and many other types of liquid refreshment. But I was looking for new beverage flavors, and cardamom bubbled to the top. Tractor, a boutique beverage brand that is showing up in the fast-casual space, offered a Mandarin Cardamom soft drink with a touch of turmeric, and at the California Milk Advisory Board’s pavilion, samples of Carda- mom Mango Lassi were handed out. The aromatic spice is typically used in baking and Indian cuisine, but it added pleasing exotic notes to those drinks.
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Top Flavor Trends from the Show
NRN Senior Food & Beverage editor Bret Thorn and NRN contributor Diana Blass walked the floor in search of interesting flavors and prepa - rations. Here’s what they found.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgUq5AfoBw4
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National Restaurant Association Show 2024
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