ARTICLE:
A few months ago we posted an article about how different demographics influence food trends in America (Sriracha or Tapatio, anyone?), but different cultures and demographics aren't the only factor influencing our taste buds. By looking at popular restaurants, demand for different ingredients and produce, and recipes incorporating "new" or previously underplayed ingredients, we can predict what food trends will be popping in the next year. NPR gave their take on what to expect in 2014. Move over kale, brussels sprouts, quinoa; they predict this year you'll see more foods that include tea inside it (I made some killer Earl Grey tea cookies last year; recipe here), besides quinoa we'll see more grains like spelt and freekeh, more nuts, cauliflower, Middle Eastern spices, and perhaps the most notable, our desire for more local ingredients will have us seeing more things like restaurants with their own gardens and small scale producers (Lyfe kitchen, for example, has their own herb wall and grows vegetables out by the sidewalk). This will undoubtedly influence other areas, as we're seeing more community gardens, school gardens and personal gardens pop up. The turn to hyper, hyper-local will mean much for small scale food producers; food swaps like this one in Long Beach are becoming popular pairings to farmers markets, where members of the community can sell their garden's bumper crop, home made pies, handmade pasta, grandma's barbecue sauce and more. It's going to be an exciting food year as the little guy continues to take a bite out of large scale food producers share.SITE: http://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259788506/eating-tea-and-other-food-predictions-for-2014
