TRENDS
Tastes
of a
foodie
nation
We may have reduced
our spending on
food but there’s a trend
towards cooking from
scratch and home
entertaining, writes
Aoife Carrigy
W
e Irish are an increasingly
foodie nation. That was one
of the top findings of PERIscope 2013, Bord Bia’s recently published report
based on comparative research across
10 European countries. We may have
scaled back our spend but we are reprioritising it too, and focusing on food as a
source of pleasure, nutrition and meaningful connection with the world. Cooking
from scratch and home entertaining are on
the rise, and the Irish are number one in Europe for attending cookery classes. So
what’s hot in the world of the home cook?
Localandreal
Authenticity is prized highly, as is locally
sourced food. “Real” foods are hot, traditional crafts are cool and local is where it’s
at. We want small-scale farmhouse butter
and slow-fermented sourdough bread. We
want locally-produced alternatives to imported foods. And we’re getting them too,
from I rish Atlantic sea salt and Irish apple
balsamic vinegar to mozzarella produced
from Co Cork buffalos.
Seekingconnections
We are increasingly using communal
food experiences to build meaningful connections. Whether its dinner parties or family dinners, supper clubs or pop-ups, local
6 |THE IRISH TIMES | March 26, 2014
food festivals or the annual Streetfeast festival (coming to a street near you this June
8th) we want to break bread and make conversation with those around us.
by Gill & Macmillan, sees one of Ireland’s
biggest cookbook publishers betting that
health-focused food is going mainstream.
Superfoodsgonova
Functionalfoods
The notion of superfoods (ie nutrient-rich ingredients) has been around the
block but new ones pop up every year.
Some superfoods court controversy
around issues of food miles, while western-inflated prices of protein-rich quinoa
or Omega 3-rich chia seeds are placing
once-staple Latin American foods out of local reach. Others are sourced closer to
home. Seaweed is finally coming of age
here in Ireland, with chefs and home cooks
embracing it versatility. Oily fish is back on
menus around the world.
The winner of last year’s Bord Bia Food
and Drink Award for innovation capitalises
on the “food as medicine” trend. The family-owned Paganini produces low-fat, protein-enriched ice-creams marketed under
the FitFuel brand for sports people and hospital patients.
Inapickle
One of the hits of last year’s Ballymaloe
Lit Fest was a master class on fermentation
with author Sandor Katz, the hipster king
of the pickle. Fermentation is one of those
Rawgrowsup
Several Irish foodies are securing a place
in the Irish palate for the Stateside trend of
raw food. That they each look like model examples of the diet’s claimed benefits may
or may not be coincidental. Katie Sanderson’s Living Dinners pop-up restaurants
have wooed critics and fans alike. Natasha’s Living Food is a booming brand offering everything from sprouted hummus
kale snacks to raw cacao ganache cake.
Food writer Susan-Jane White’s new cookbook, The Extra-Virgin Kitchen, published
Food writer
Susan-Jane
White’s new
cookbook,
The ExtraVirgin Kitchen
lost arts which we’re realising is at the
heart of many food cultures, and is the key
to everything from sourdough bread,
cheese and beer to sauerkraut, kimchi and
miso. Combine the draw of the forgotten
craft skill with the promise of beneficial
probiotics, digestive enzymes and
health-boosting nutrients and you have
one hot food trend.
Comehellorhybrids
Love them or hate them, hybrid foods
have captured our imagination, at once tapping into our nostalgic desire for the familiar and our intrepid craving for the new.
Once New Yorkers were queueing into
the wee hours for their supply of cronuts –
croissant meet doughnut – everywhere
else had to have them. (Butler’s Cafés if
you’re asking). Bleecker Street’s bite-sized
Bantam Bagels, a sort of profiterole-bagel-ball filled with all things sweet and savoury, are chasing any stubborn cupcakes
firmly into yesterday’s news. Can’t choose
between burger joint, noodle shop or pizza? You don’t have to, thanks to the ramen
burger (compacted noodles replacing the
bread bun) or the pizza burger, of which
there are various interpretations (pizza toppings on a burger bun, or mini burgers on a
pizza). And who knows where Tacobell’s recently launched Le Quesarito (quesadilla-cum-burrito) might lead us all.