10 Craziest Food Trends Predicted For 2017

Eater collected every prediction made for 2017 food trends and we've narrowed it down to the wackiest ones. Read on to find out how Koji (what?!) may end up defining your 2017 diet.

1. Coffee as an ingredient

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Given our affinity for coffee, it is no surprise that foodies are going to try and put it in everything. And hey, we’re not mad about it! “For GenZ and younger millennials – generations that grew up socializing at Starbucks, not malls – coffee is approaching bacon-level trendiness,” the Food Network Kitchen team says.

2. Charcoal

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With supposed detoxifying properties, charcoal has been showing up in everything from face masks to toothbrushes. Now, you’ll start to find it in cocktails—like those at New York’s Mission Chinese Food—and even ice cream. Bonus: it might even cure your hangover!

3. High-tech cocktails

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Forget the ingredients, it’s all in the equipment. Sous-vide machines—a 2017 trend in their own right—act as fancy pressure cookers to infuse and intensify flavors. At Michelin-starred Junoon, the high-tech cocktail is more far-out: "The Winter Is Coming" is an applejack brandy drink whose other main ingredient is a coconut milk squash soup cooked in a sous vide machine.

4. Purple food

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Whole Foods predicts purple foods are going to be the next big thing. We already see them in a lot of trendy foods—like açaí—but now there is also purple cauliflower and asparagus. The vibrant color often indicates nutrient density and antioxidants. The Instagram appeal doesn’t hurt either!

5. Savory yogurt

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You may love your yogurt parfait from Starbucks, but it looks like you might soon ditch the fruit and honey for olive oil and salt. Yogurt is actually naturally savory, so this food trend is actually pretty old school. Fage has already embraced it, creating flavors like Tomato Basil with Almonds and Carrot Ginger with Pistachios.

6. Adaptogen supplements

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Adaptogens take stress eating to a whole new level! Natural substances derived from plants like mushrooms and herbs, adaptogens help rid the body of stress (and aid your immune and digestive systems and boost healthy blood flow). So, take a deep breath …or don’t, and just eat some adaptogens!

7. Food waste

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Food waste is a big problem in America, with around 40% of our food going uneaten. Blue Hill’s Chef Dan Barber is trying to change the way we think about food waste, by hosting wastED London, a pop-up dining experience featuring, “an evolving menu of cuisine made from the scrap produce and spare animal parts gathered by farmers and markets,” explained mindbodygreen.

8. Beef

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Yes, we know, beef is what’s for dinner, so how can it be trending? Consumption of beef has actually been on the decline since the 1970s, according to the US Department of Agriculture. We’ve also been seeing it disappear from restaurant entrée menus, but beef is trending in other, smaller, ways. Rather than being served up as a main course, beef is appearing in smaller portions, like canapés and elite cuts.

9. Sorghum

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Sorghum is predicted to be the “it” grain of 2017. It is like a sweeter, chewier version of couscous. Odds are you will be eating it like it’s the new quinoa. You can find it a Jean-Georges’ new vegetarian restaurant, abcV, in New York.

10. Koji

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Never heard of Koji? Same. It’s the Japanese ingredient responsible for the fermentation of soy sauce, miso, and sake. Souschef’s Nicola Lando says it is “one of the defining flavours of Japanese food.” Apparently, Chef David Chang of Momofuku has been experimenting with the ingredient, which probably means it will be the next big thing!

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