The National Restaurant Association in collaboration with the American Culinary Federation has released its annual chefs' survey of menu trends. The report covers individual categories and summarizes the top trends for the year. This year, cannabis/CBD infused drinks and food top the list.
Read Nation's Restaurant News' coverage of cannabis throughout 2018 here:
- Marijuana in restaurants: Pipe dream or soon-to-be reality?
- It’s high time for restaurants to pay attention to marijuana
- Pairing pot: What marijuana is right for your meal?
- From CBD to carrot dogs: The year in food trends
Click through to see the survey's top predictions for each category.
Contact Holly Petre at holly.petre@knect365.com
Kids' Meals: Global flavors
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The top prediction in Kids' Meals is global flavors. Other predictions include gourmet items and sliders/mini-burgers.
Produce: Uncommon herbs
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The top prediction in Produce is uncommon herbs such as chervil, lovage, lemon balm and papalo. Other predictions in the category include imperfect/ugly produce and super fruit such as acai, goji berry and mangosteen.
Culinary Concepts: Zero-waste cooking
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The top prediction in Culinary Concepts is zero-waste cooking (elevated cuisine using food scraps) in a category that includes hyper-local (e.g. restaurant gardens, house-made items) and veggie-centric/vegetable-forward cuisine as well.
Read about chefs making soups that fit these descriptions here>>
Global Flavors: North African cuisine/flavors
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The top prediction in Global Flavors is North African cuisineand flavors, with West African cuisine and Filipino cuisine rounding out the top category.
Read about chefs utilizing some of these flavors in their restaurants here>>
Condiments: House-made condiments/specialty condiments
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The top prediction in Condiments is house-made condiments and specialty condiments, with North African condiments such as dukka, zhug, harissa and ras el hanout also in the category.
Read about North African flavors here>>
Dishes: Globally inspired breakfast dishes
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The top prediction in Dishes is globally inspired breakfast food, with street-food inspired dishes and house-made pickles also predicted.
Read more about chefs creating globally-inspired breakfast dishes here>>
Grains/Pasta: Protein-rich grains/seeds
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Protein: New cuts of meat
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The top prediction in Protein is new cuts of meat, such as shoulder tender, oyster steak, Vegas Strip Steak and Merlot cut. Plant-based sausages and burgers are also predicted, along with sustainable seafood.
Read more about chefs utilizing new cuts of meat here>>
Snacks/Sweets: Thai-rolled ice cream
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The top prediction in Snacks/Sweets is Thai-rolled ice cream. Other predictions include doughnuts with non-traditional filling, and injera chips.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages: Gazoz
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The top prediction in Non-Alcoholic Beverages is Gazoz (non-alcoholic spritzer from Israel), with craft/house-roasted coffee and house-made soda rounding out the category.
Read more about non-alcoholic beverages here>>