15 Food Trends We Fell In Love With In Lockdown
What’s in, what’s out, and what will stay with us forever
In the nearly three years that the world has gone in lockdown, we have undeniably been obsessed with food. It’s no surprise really. Food is a primal source of comfort, a way of communicating love, and helps us touch base with family and community. Not to mention the mental health benefits of baking, and the sense of accomplishment that it gives us to master a new dish, recipe or technique. For many reasons, we fell in love with these 15 food trends in quarantine. Let’s take a look at them and see the foods we fell in love with, what’s in, what’s out, and what we’ll always love forever.
Pandemic Food Trends
Pandemic Food Trends
Ube Cheese Pandesal
Popular even before the pandemic, the obsession with ube cheese pandesal hit its peak during lockdown. It’s easy to understand the comforting appeal of this very Filipino merienda, with homegrown flavors that harken back to the good old days. Verdict: While this trend has peaked, this is a classic flavor combo will always have fans.
Photo Credit: @see_jay91
Banana Bread
Easily the most searched for recipe during quarantine, this sweet soft loaf started many beginning home bakers off on their baking journey. Easy to make and delicious, it also highlighted baking’s mental health benefits. Verdict: Even celebs baked banana bread at its peak popularity, but I think we’ve moved on.
Photo Credit: @bakedeatph
Sourdough
Being stuck at home during quarantine gave us the time to bake sourdough bread and grow their own starters. Sourdough is especially conducive to pandemic baking because its steps are spaced hours apart, which is handy if you’re just home with nothing much to do. Plus, the act of baking provided a sense of mastery as well as stress relief. Verdict: It’s safe to say sourdough baking is here to stay, and we’re seeing it everywhere from sourdough pizzas.
Photo Credit: @purelysourdough
Pizza
The perfect delivery food, pizza delivery reached fever pitch during lockdown. Suddenly, we were inundated with every style of pizza — Neapolitan, Sicilian, Detroit, Chicago, you name it. And it looks like this trend is here to stay. Verdict: pizza is a classic food for a reason, and it will always be popular.
Photo Credit: @crostapizzeria
TikTok Feta Pasta
TikTok became a favorite source of recipe hacks. This recipe in particular went viral in such a huge way that stores ran out of feta cheese. It’s a one pot, easy as pie recipe that combines all our favorite things — carbs, cheese and tomatoes. Verdict: nifty as this recipe is, the TikTok crowd has already moved on.
Photo Credit: @food.loverinspo
Cocktail Kits
If you found yourself drinking more often during lockdown, you’re not alone. Pandemic drinking is a real phenomenon, and those of us who missed sipping a cocktail made by a pro discovered the fun of cocktail kits. These DIY boxes contain all the ingredients for a cocktail — a negroni or whisky sour, perhaps — down to the right measurements and garnish. Verdict: Cocktail kits are here to stay, besides they make the best. gifts.
Photo Credit: @fullcircledistillers
Foccacia Gardens
These edible works of art are created by carefully arranging colorful ingredients on a proofed tray of focaccia, before popping in the even. Meticulous and beautiful, these were perfect for the long hours stuck at home during lockdown. Verdict: Not really a trend any more, although a few bakers are still creating their works of art.
Photo Credit: @mira_yoo_hoo
Korean Garlic Buns
We fell in love with all things Korean during lockdown, from kimchi and samgyupsal, to ramyeon and these delicious soft bread buns that come slathered in cream cheese, garlic butter and herbs. Verdict: the frenzy is over for these buns, but the flavors are classic and there will always be fans.
Photo Credit: @ratihfitriana
Home brew and coffee delivery
Unable to make their usual coffee runs, people turned their hand to brewing their own coffee at home. Coffee appreciation and coffee making classes abounded online, and an amazing variety of coffee beans were available for delivery. Lots of new baristas honed their skills during quarantine. Verdict: once you start on your coffee journey, there is no turning back.
Photo Credit: @communeph
Sushi Bake
An old recipe perfect for potluck parties suddenly became a hit during the pandemic. Sushi made into casserole hit the spot, with its promise of delicate Japanese flavor and warm yummy carb-loaded comfort. Accompanied by nori sheets and available in fun flavors like spam bake or takoyaki bake, it was just the fun dish to liven up eating at home. Verdict: This dish will find its way into lots of potluck parties in the future, but the trend is definitely over.
Photo Credit: @elevenbakerstreet
Burnt Basque Cheesecakes
This sexy, irresistible dessert breaks all the rules of cheesecake. It’s crustless, with beautiful golden brown exterior holding in an underbaked, oozy interior with sweet creamy texture similar to custard. It’s cracked, burnt and absolutely beautiful. It was popular before the pandemic, and became even more of a sensation during lockdown. Verdict: this cheesecake is a classic that’s here to stay. Expect even more variations in the future.
Photo Credit: @thebasquelab
Dalgona Coffee
Inspired by a Korean candy, this drink became an early viral favorite during lockdown due in part to how easy it was to do (if you had a hand mixer), and how Instagrammable it was. We all had fun mastering this fun drink and flexing on social media, right? Verdict: It was fun while it lasted but this craze is over.
Photo Credit: @dalgona_coffee_hub
Birria Tacos
This craveworthy dish has a hedonistic, primal appeal. The meat is slow cooked in coppery red stew until unbelievably tender, with beguiling flavor complexity, then stuffed into taco shells or tortillas slathered with gooey cheese — is your mouth watering while you read? We can’t blame you. Verdict: something this good will never really go away. Birria tacos are here to stay.
Photo Credit: @senorito_ph
Nostalgia
The good old days take a golden sheen when we’re going through hard times, so it’s no surprise that in the stress and anxiety of lockdown we turned to the comforting food of our childhood. Nostalgic foods were a real hit, especially Manila’s OG Cookie Monster Cake, revived by Cakes by Louise. Every bite was a fond memory of happier times. Verdict: Nostalgia foods are feel good foods and we’ll always have a soft spot for them.
Photo Credit: @cakes.bylouise
Leche Flan Donuts
It all started when Kora, a New York City-based Filipino baker Kimberly Camara started baking Filipino-themed desserts in her homegrown business, Kora Bakery. The leche flan donuts incorporated her Lola Corazon’s beloved flan encased in brioche donuts, delicately dusted with powdered sugar. More than a thousand New Yorkers were on the waitlist for these donuts, a contemporary homage to Filipino heritage and a real source of Pinoy pride. Verdict: Leche flan donuts are still a hit in NYC, and has spawned lots of new desserts highlighting Filipino flavors. Kudos to Kora Bakery!
Photo Credit: @fromkora
Lead photos: @see_jay91, @fromkora, @dalgona_coffee_hub
