Indians have set some pretty interesting trends this year.
Lockdown, so what? We Indians keep entertaining ourselves with a variety of skills. We aced it this year too with our viral food trends.
Let’s have a quick look and cherish our memories by revisiting food trends that introduced a new food era in India.
Dalgona Coffee
Coffee admirer or not we all tried it at least once. Dalgona finds its roots in South Korea where it was a street treat in the 70s and 80s. It appeared again in January when star Jung-II-Woo ordered a custom coffee. This trend went viral on Instagram and TikTok like crazy. On google trends, it became the most searched coffee!
A low commitment recipe and still a delight to taste. We all tried making it right by whisking it till our hand hurt, to get that whipped frothy swirl at the top. And that is the reason Dalgona tops our list as Indians and the whole world went crazy over it.
Plant-based living
Veganism took a drastic turn in a positive way. Countries whose traditional food was meat and dairy saw a sudden rise in the plant-based diet. Delicious looking vegan bowls, vibrant smoothies, oatmeal, we loved it all. Plant-based cooking became more popular in 2020, particularly in light of COVID-19. This concept surely introduced us to healthy yet tasty options for everyday meals. Meat substitute start-ups also gained popularity like GoodDo where mock meat is used. Vegan eggs sound interesting right, EVO Foods is India’s first plant-based egg start-up. Goodmylk, yet another substitute for dairy products was also introduced. India surely is headed towards a change in lifestyle through veganism.
Ayurveda
With all the immunity boosters came our ayurvedic nutrition. Ayurveda, an ancient science, made us believe that old is actually gold. People around the globe believe in our science. It became popular due to its therapeutic efficiency against illness where modern sciences failed. During COVID-19 every household in India adopted Ayurveda. The curiosity to know more about it led to an increase in the popularity of Ayurveda more than ever.
Considering from a taste point of view, trying Ayurveda was a bitter-sweet experience. As health is wealth we didn’t mind drinking some Kadha and plant-based medicines.
Mug cakes
That delightful sponge gave a satisfaction no other cake can give. Mug cakes went on a spike and people went gaga over them. Without whipping out all our baking equipment and yet getting a taste of flavorsome cake in a mug, who will not try it? Mug cakes were on the list of every foodie this year.
DIY’s
Indian cooking got a western tadka when we all searched our Dadi’s and Nani’s recipes and twisted them. This twist surely had a savor that no dish can match. A delightful mismatch of Indian and western cuisine gained popularity. Rasgulla-cheesecake, jalebi-cheesecake, Gulab Jamun-cheesecake were some delights for people having a sweet tooth.
Drinkers get your taste buds ready to try Jamun shots, paan shots, and all the mismatched drinks.
Appetizers also got some interesting twists, Mexican-samosa, paneer tikka on a pizza, carrot fudge and the list continues. Indian cooking surely got some western touch and renewal this year.
Home-Chefs grew
By cooking mouth-watering street food to our own traditional recipes in our kitchens, we all became chefs and sharpened our culinary skills. Few converted their passion for food into a profession by growing and sharing their love for food with the whole of India. Chefs and food-based YouTube channels were the most viewed this lockdown. Instagram lit up with many home-based chefs, bakers, and bloggers sharing their love and delicacies with the world. Home chefs grew massively during this lockdown. Not only the ones who already existed on the platform women and men across ages, opened their accounts on Instagram and began selling their delicacies online.
Sustainable Cooking
Nature surely taught us a good lesson this year and people became more aware of their environment by using sustainable food, even food packaging. The use of plastic packaging is drastically reduced. Metal straws were more seriously used and the use of plastic went down.
Organic vegetables and chemical-free cooking were adopted this year by Indian households. Hyper-local food restaurants also saw a sudden rise in India.
And much less waste was produced as people started making compost in their homes for organic manure. The zero-waste lifestyle became dominant in these times.
Can you relate to these food trends? Which of these have you picked up?
