This means that Kate is well informed about what is coming soon to a kitchen near you… including the key focus cuisines of the moment. If – like the TASTE team – you enjoy planning your international travel around food experiences, these are the five fab food destinations to which you should be heading soon.

1. Great Britain & Ireland  

Gran’s classic cottage pie recipe

In line with the wider trend of our homes being sanctuaries in which we enjoy nothing more than cooking up a nostalgia-fuelled feast, gourmet takes on British classics are where it’s at. Think tradition and comfort but taken up a notch in the manner of London’s iconic St John restaurant.

From Sunday roasts – and, of course, we’d also include the various South African versions of this here – to staple comfort foods such as cottage pie, this trend reflects the fact that in tumultuous times, we’re craving dishes that are cheap and cheerful and lean into humble ingredients.

Bring this trend home with:  

Hannah Lewry’s brilliant one-pot roasts, which, as a bonus, also create loads of leftovers you can repurpose during the week.

One-pot chicken

No time to hassle with the prep yourself?  

No worries, Woolies has you sorted with its pop-in-the-oven stuffed beef rump roast and ready-to-roast veg.

Travelling to the UK?  

Along with the aforementioned St John, we suggest you eat at Rules , J. Sheekey Fish and Seafood Restaurant and Kerridge’s Bar & Grill. Oh, and have at least one Sunday lunch at a pub like The Parakeet , of course.

2. India

Fuelled by an increasing recognition of the sheer diversity of Indian cuisine and the Indian and Pakistani diaspora, India as a food destination now is all about highly regional and very frequently plant-based recipes. We’re well beyond the curry here and into fusion territory, with dishes such as lamb barbacoa biryani and Mexican flavours making us drool over our phones as they pop up on social media.

 

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Also hotter than hot is fast-casual Indian: think butter chicken burgers, Keralan popcorn chicken, and chaat-laden hotdogs. It’s all about pushing the boundaries in a cuisine people already know and love.

Bring this trend home with:  

Sweet and delicious desserts that are easy to make and irresistible to all: falooda and  rasmalai.

Falooda recipe

Rasmalai recipe

Need help with the prep and ingredients?  

Start with snacks: Woolies’ ready-to-air-fry pani puri discs, filled with your favourite mix of chutneys, sambals and fresh coriander.

Travelling to India?  
Of course you need to sample the street food but when it comes to fine dining, when in Mumbai, head to Masque and in Delhi, book at Indian Accent – both establishments made the World’s 50 Best list this year.

3. China

Hoisin mushroom stir-fry recipe

Chinese cuisine is, understandably, another massively diverse culinary landscape that goes far beyond the Cantonese and Szechuan cuisines that are already relatively well-known in the West to Xinjiang, Shandong and Hunan cookery – all of which are just starting to make their mark for the rest of us.

Once again here, fusion is king, and delicious dishes run the gamut from classic or reinvented street foods to fine dining to “Mod-Chinese”, which blends the flavours of those aforementioned local cuisines with modern cooking techniques and twists.

Bring this trend home with:  

A flavoursome, texture-forward – and very easy to make – stir-fry such as Abi Donnelly’s hoisin mushroom stir-fry or her super-simple, absolutely moreish, carb-conscious chilli-ginger hake. Looking for something meat-free? We suggest you try Abi’s miso cabbage stir-fry.

Chilli-ginger hake recipe

Miso cabbage stir-fry recipe

Looking for cookbooks in which to immerse yourself? Try the recently published Chinese Enough: Homestyle Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Stir-Fries, and More by first-gen American Kristina Cho, which showcases a blend of “the flavours of traditional Cantonese cooking with California ingredients and a midwestern sensibility”. Or pick up a copy of Betty Liu’s multiple award-winning The Chinese Way,which aims to help you master eight adaptable Chinese cooking techniques.

No time to hassle with the prep yourself?  

When we’re craving Asian flavours without the hassle of slaving over hot woks and slow-cooking pots, we gravitate to Woolies’ Heat-and-Eat Asian-style beef shortribs, accompanied by egg noodles and lots of fresh and quick-pickled garnishes.

4. Thailand

Bold flavours, regionality and an increase in Thai-fusion dishes also characterise the current trend towards all things Thai. From Chinese-Thai mash-ups that come to us courtesy of Bangkok’s Yaowarat district to Thai cuisine blended with American, British or Italian classics, it’s all about respectful creativity here. Anyone for a Chiang Mai sausage roll or a spicy laab burger? Yep, we’re all in, too.

Bring this trend home with:  

Classic Thai staples such as a home-made pork pad Thai that anyone can whip up on a weeknight, which can also be made with chicken mince if you don’t enjoy the flavour of pork. We’re also fans of this super-easy recipe for air-fryer Thai sticky chicken thighs and Hannah Lewry’s lip-smacking mussels in Thai green curry broth.

Pork pad Thai recipe

Air-fryer Thai sticky chicken thighs recipe

Mussels in Thai green curry broth recipe

No time to hassle with the prep yourself?  

Fortunately, Woolworths has you covered here too, with a wide selection of Thai essentials including black rice, noodles, spice pastes and ready-made dishes including soups and curries.

Travelling to Thailand (or the USA)?  

The street food in Thailand is extraordinary and should always be sampled extensively – if in doubt about how to choose, book a food tour with a local expert. In Bangkok, aim to get a table at Gaggan, which has two Michelin stars. And in Los Angeles – for the last few years a true witches’ cauldron in which brilliant new restaurants have been emerging on what feels like a monthly basis – head to Holy Basil.

5. Mexico

Authentic, regional Mexican cuisine continues to grow in importance and prominence the world over, with the cooking done at fonda – family-run, homely eating establishments – coming to the fore at the moment. But then we’re also seeing the rise of “nouveau Tex-Mex” and the recognition that Tex-Mex has an authentic history of its own that can be embraced and celebrated. And why not, when the results include gourmet takes on dishes including loaded nachos, chilli con carne and huevos rancheros?

Adobo nacho tray bake recipe

Bring this trend home with:  

Abi Donnelly’s easy, crowd-pleasing, Mexican-inspired weeknight dishes.

No time to hassle with the prep yourself?

Shop for everything you need for a Tex-Mex blowout with Woolies’ brilliant selection of Mexican staples.

The post The top five cuisines to travel for now  appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Late last year, Kate attended two very different food summits. The first was Gastronomika in San Sebastiàn, Spain, where some of the world’s most celebrated chefs shared their philosophies and showcased their singular dishes. The second was a virtual trends event hosted by The Food People, who have spent the past 19 years following and forecasting food and drinks trends. Which is why you can expect to see some of these big five influences coming to a kitchen near you…

1. JOMO

Potato bread recipe

You’ve heard of FOMO (the supremely millennial “fear of missing out”) but now there’s a newer acronym with precisely the opposite meaning: the joy of missing out. JOMO is the emotionally intelligent antidote to all that getting out there, desperate not to miss a thing. JOMO is about being in the moment, feeling content with your choices, savouring sanctuary, and seeking safety and comfort – but only in the most refined and delightful ways, of course, especially when related to food.

As a food trend, JOMO means easy but more discerning entertaining, think freezer feasts, comfort bowls  and spending happy hours in your own space… while sipping on a bar-quality cocktail, of course. It encompasses the rise of craft coffee at home (a.k.a. “Cafecore”), with everyone signing up for a barista course and getting to know where their beans come from; the return of baking, especially of the most nostalgic sort; and the desire for restaurant-quality meals eaten at home, whether these are purchased in store or delivered. In the UK, Waitrose recently launched Dishpatch, a weekly meal “kit” (that only requires finishing off) by a well-known – often Michelin-starred – chef.

ALSO READ: 6 exceptional air-fryer recipes for your next dinner party

2. OMNIVORE

Crispy pork rashers with cabbage

Human beings are, evolutionarily speaking, omnivorous – but rather than restating this obvious fact, the omnivore trend is about finding balance in your diet and not feeling defined by being exclusively “a meat fanatic” or “a plant-based eater”.

In short, flexitarianism is back on the menu, and with meat substitutes typically more expensive than meat itself, many of us simply want to make smarter, better choices to reduce our meat intake, rather than eliminating it entirely.

Another key element of the omnivore trend? The rich umami flavours of mushrooms – whether combined with meat, or used in veggie or vegan dishes.

ALSO READ: 6 plant-based dinners you’ll love

3. BIG FUSION

Butter chicken noodles

This trend if heavily influenced by third-culture cuisine or mixed-border cooking, where chefs whose parents were raised in another country to the one of their birth are embracing the cuisine of their heritage (that they grew up with) and using it to reinterpret local dishes and ingredients. Social media has galvanised this, helping these proponents of the third culture to share flavours, techniques and culinary traditions, resulting in a proliferation of clever, new mash-ups.

In the wake of debates around cultural appropriation, these creative combos are respectful of traditions and culture, but at the same time they’re more fearless. Think jerk chicken burritos or lamb keema lasagne  – not to mention all things Mexican-ish: guacamole served with wasabi and nori chips rather than nachos, anyone?

Look out for all things “twisted Italian” too, as the staples of one of the world’s favourite cuisines are used in unexpected ways – as already seen from TASTE’s very own Khanya Mzongwana, who recently brought us the “Will it Caesar?” trend in the form of this delicious recipe for Caesar butter beans on toast.

4. CRAVE WORTHY

Chocolate-and-cherry mousse cake with mirror glaze

As every TASTE reader knows, there’s nothing quite like a bit of food indulgence to boost your mood and distract from the general chaos of world events (which have never been quite so tumultuous), so right now the occasional – and unapologetic – indulgence is all over the culinary world.

Encompassing all things oversized and overfilled, this trend is about momentary escapism as you relish an overloaded hot dog  or super-indulgent sandwich overstuffed with slow-cooked meat or artisanal charcuterie and oozing cheese, after being pressed and toasted.

And don’t forget that viral TikTok  sensation, the delectable pistachio cream-and-crispy kataifi pastry-filled Dubai chocolate bar. This trend is having such a significant moment that Lindt has launched a limited-edition Dubai chocolate bar, which will be on shelf at Woolworths, helpfully, in time for Mother’s and Father’s Day.

5. SLIM AND TRIM

African grain salad

Perhaps not counter-intuitively, the trend towards dietary habits aimed at weight management is the necessary foil for the mega indulgences above. With more and more stories focused on GLP-1s, the “hunger-quietening hormone”, the public is more informed than ever about the importance of developing lifelong healthy eating habits.

With the rise of chemical interventions such as Ozempic (to stimulate GLP-1s) and more and more apps that assist with weight management, people are making more considered choices about how to eat better “on purpose”. There are also new techniques such as somatic, intuitive and mindful eating.

Naturally, at TASTE we have long been aware of the benefits of eating well; you can check out our wide selection of healthier eating options and recipe ideas here.

ALSO READ: Trending buzzwords decoded: What are somatic, intuitive and mindful eating

The post The top 5 food trends right now appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.