29 Gen 2023 Food Trends. A vegetal era is coming

2023, un nuovo anno in pista. Con tendenze food nella pancia. Alcune di impronta culturale generale e tecnologica come molecular farming e food truck robotizzati, altre che riguardano determinati alimenti. Quali avranno fortuna? 

Il molto reputato report annuale dell’esperta Hanni Rüzler evidenzia per il 2023 macro-tendenze come gastronomia sostenibile *, veganizzare le ricette, regenerative food, cioè il cibo da agricoltura sostenibile attenta alla biodiversità e al recupero del suolo.

Più fonti e più studi concordano sul sempre maggiore interesse verso i sostituti della carne plant-based. Che forse però sono ancora imperfetti in ricchezza sensoriale. Così, almeno secondo alcuni chef come il superstellato Enrico Bartolini. Ci affacciamo a un’era vegetale? 

Pasta ricavata da legumi e altri vegetali, datteri dappertutto, cocktail anche analcolici, buone pratiche di conservazione del pesce e cotture energy-saving, colazioni salate sono altri segnali che si colgono. E tutti sottolineano la connessione tra cibo e benessere.

What’s 2023 cooking for us? Out of metaphor, what can we expect from the coming year in terms of food trends? Before broaching the topic, please note that the concept itself of food trends is wide. And it may include general foodcultural phenomena or tech practices – such as molecular farming or robo-food trucks -as well as specific food fads. 

At Smart Iting we are interested in both and in the global scene.

The much reputed Hanni Rüzler’s Foodreport, yearly issued by ZukunftInstitute Frankfurt, among many other interesting signals, is actually highlighting three major trends. They are sustainable gastronomy, veganizing recipes and regenerative food. 

While sustainability has a quite predominant and shared value, and veganizing recipes can be intuitively understood, when we say regenerative food we basically mean the food coming from sustainable agriculture, which focuses on biodiversity and soil regeneration.

Vegetal world is everywhere

Vegetal world is insistently present in the near future of our food. Also when we face the topic of plant-based meat substitutes (https://www.smartiting.com/all/accessible/wellness-as-a-smart-business-in-post-pandemic-china/ ) and of their potential. But while meat substitutes success will probably grow in the daily life with the “placet” of many responsible consumers, the high-cuisine world is still hesitant. 

Michelin-multistarred chef Enrico Bartolini explained to Wired, for instance, that plant-based meat hasn’t yet, in his opinion, the same sensory richness found in real meat. And since sensory richness if exactly what starred cuisine wants to offer to the lucky ones who experience it, this means that time is not ripe enough for meat substitutes in Bartolini’s menus.

But let’s stay vegetal. We might expect, in fact, a vegetal era to come.

Food trends 2023 are signals to intercept

Pasta from beans or other vegetables. Massive use of dates instead of sugar. Low-alcohol mixology. Good practices of fish preservation and energy-saving cooking methods. Savoury breakfasts. All these are significant signals to intercept. 

Is there a common denominator? Yes: all of them underline the vital connession between food and wellness.

Learn more:

on robo food-truck (article in Italian) >  https://aifi.it/it/private-capital-today/Robo-Ambulanti-piccoli-venditori-crescono

Hanni Rützler report (in English and German) > https://onlineshop.zukunftsinstitut.de/shop-en/food-report-2023/?lang=en