The glory days of kale, gin and poke bowls are over. There are a number of food and drink trends which are rising in popularity not only the world over, but here in Cape Town too.
A toast to the roast chicken
In Cape Town, there is a bird taking off and landing on menus the city over. It’s chicken, the humble white meat which has always been popular, but now new joints are popping up to put a fresh spin on the Sunday roast most of us grew up with. The new trend of roast chicken is here, evident through local eateries such as The Chicken Shop, Roast & Co and Primi Roastery.
Victory for vermouth
Move over gin, there’s a new alcoholic kid on the block. Vermouth is a fortified, aromatic wine, which like gin, is infused with an array of botanicals, and comes in two main forms – sweet and dry, the latter being the tipple which is being anticipated for a boom in 2018. It’s base ingredient is Wormwood, of which here in South Africa we have our own indigenous variety. Expect creative vermouth infusions using local botanicals.
Powder power
Everything you love – that’s good for you – will come in powdered form in 2018. Powders have the ability to transform dishes with their potent punch, and in this case we’re talking maca, porcini mushroom, spirulina, cacao and turmeric. Powders have considerably long shelf lives and the health benefits remain through the powdering process. Soon, it won’t look out of place to have a pantry filled with jars of various powders – and ferments leftover from the 2017 trend of course.
The plant-based race
Despite the emergence of roast chicken eateries in the city, the consumer shift towards a plant-based diet is taking off exponentially. Cape Town is receiving its fair share of new vegan eateries sprouting up, all offering wholesome, flavourful and meat-free cusine. Speaking of meat, substitutes are becoming more and more like the real thing, with new products on the market even ‘bleeding” like raw mear. The trend of plant-base eating is skyrocketing enough to be considered moving beyond a trend and is here to stay. In 2018 the movement of conscious-eating will become even more prevalent.
Feast from the Middle East
Whole Foods, the international healthy food retailer, predicts that Middle Eastern cuisine will be on the rise in the new year. Think shakshuka and grilled halloumi, while spices and condiments like harissa, mint, tahini, labneh and za’atar will feature increasingly at restaurants and markets.
Photography Courtesy / Unsplash