Kara on IReallyLikeFood

Friday, 11 June 2010

Fun and Fantastic Food Fads

America's cultural landscape is an ever changing reflection of our thoughts, values, and desires. In terms of almost everything - movies, television, sports, fashion, politics, leisure, and (of course) food - certain ideas reach a point of popularity such that they become trendy. These fads will, inevitably, fade out into obscurity; sometimes they remain dead and buried (R.I.P. Jai Alai, you're missed by almost no one. Sorry.) other times they'll come back into vogue after a number of years (leggings, bell bottoms, almost any fashion fad, really). The culinary world is rapidly and constantly changing. Diets are the ultimate representation of fads in the food universe: the almighty Atkins diet of the 90s, obscure (but well established) concepts like the Paleo diet, and the one-food only diets that die out after roughly 5 minutes (I remember being baffled as a kid when my mother told me about the grapefruit-only diet that the ladies in her office were all hooked on). Food methods, too, are popularized at a certain point and then promptly forgotten; how many of you out there have a crock pot or panini press gathering dust in your cupboards? In this list, however, I'll be taking a look at specific foods that, currently, hold fad status.

The internet has changed the wonderful world of trends such that fads emerge and die out more quickly than ever; though many fads are still formulated by companies or restaurants, for example, the world of blogging has allowed trends to rise from individuals and spread at a breakneck pace through this "series of tubes." In fact, most of the items on this list achieved popularity through food blogging.

7. Bacon

The obsession with bacon is wholly internet-created. Though the bacon fad has been around for a few years now, it's actually still going strong. Sure, we've always known that bacon is the food of the gods, but it was the internet that allowed people to showcase and popularize their bacon creations: bascially, bacon-wrapped and bacon-stuffed everything. Unlike most internet memes, bacon has made its way into the "real world" as its popularity has been noticed by food manufacturers. The delicious flavor of smoked Babe belly can now be found in specialty mayonnaise, chocolate bars, and even vodka - which, by the way, you can make at home as long as you're not squeamish about leaving strips of bacon sitting in a jar of vodka on your shelf for weeks. It's interesting to note how bacon-worship emerged just as vegetarianism-as-a-fad (congrats to all those who are dedicated to the vegetarian lifestyle...I could only stick to it for a year) was reaching critical mass; talk about conflicting morals.

6. (Homemade) Marshmallows

The awesome thing about the massive food blogging community of the internet is the way it has transformed cooking at home; though many people (including myself, on occasion) still rely on fast food or frozen options as meals in their hectic lives, food bloggers have introduced us to the idea that cooking at home can be quick, fresh, and easy. Marshmallows are one of those foods that, up until recently, most of us didn't realize we could concoct relatively easily in our own homes. The difference between a store bought jet-puffed 'mallow and a homemade confection is the culinary equivalent of stepping outside of Plato's cave: the taste is sweet, light and pure and the texture is soft and airy. The marshmallow trend is reaching its apex with the idea that we can make our own custom flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, green tea, lavender...I'll bet these can make mind-blowing s'mores.

5. Miniature Versions of our Favorites

Unlike the fun-sized candy bars that I pawned off on my parents after a night of trick or treating (in whose world does less candy = fun?) these mini treats are something to drool over. If you ever saw the short-lived ABC cult series "Pushing Daisies," you probably starting salivating at the way too cute "cup pies" that Ned and Charlotte invented. The internet followed up by actually providing recipes for little pies and cheesecakes. Savory favorites, too, have started becoming popular in miniature form: burger/chicken sliders, personal pizzas, and cupcake pan meatloaves have emerged in the blogosphere. Personally, I love the idea of mini foods; it reinforces the idea that many of our favorite treats are to be eaten in moderation.

4. Red Velvet

Cupcakes have re-emerged recently as a popular dessert; although there are a number of blogs dedicated to the almighty cupcake, it appears as though our love of the sugary snack has reached its greatest height and is now dying out in favor of other desserts. Cupcakes, however, are responsible for popularizing a food trend that is still going strong: red velvet. Perhaps it's the novelty of eating something beautifully bright red, or the delicious (and slightly different) flavor combination of subtle chocolate and cream cheese icing. It seems that the flavor of this southern staple is reaching beyond its cakey origins and making appearances in candies, cheesecakes, and even yogurt. I'm patiently awaiting a Ben and Jerry's red velvet concoction (which would of course be titled "Red Velvet If You Please").

3. Salted Caramel

I first noticed salted caramel about a year ago when I was at Starbucks, which was offering a salted caramel hot chocolate. Personally, I've never been a fan of the sweet/salty combo, but I was inexplicably drawn to try the drink. It was, like virtually everything at Starbucks, absolutely delicious, but in a way I hadn't experienced before: the salt not only served as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the caramel, but it actually enhanced the overall flavor. So, I'm quite pleased to see that almost any recipe these days will inevitably feature the word "salted" in front of the word "caramel."

2. Cake Balls/Pops

This is one food fad that can be 100% attributed to one person: the wonderful blogger Bakerella. She kicked off something completely new in the dessert world: cooked cake, mixed with frosting, shaped into balls, and covered with chocolate or candy coating - voila, cake balls! She took it to the next level by sticking the treats on top of lollipop sticks - voila cake pops! She also has crazy bananas decorating skills, and makes the deliciously addictive pops into so cute I can't stand it creations. These things are as delicious as they are visually appealing. You can take a look at Bakerella's blog to not only witness the pops, but receive step-by-step instructions. Searching the internet, you'll see that the idea of cake pops has caught on to many other blogs, and I believe it's only a matter of time before you'll see these "popping" up (sorry) in your favorite restaurants and candy shops.

1. Macarons

These are the hottest treats that I'm seeing emerge everywhere recently, from blogs to bakeries. Macarons (NOT macaroons) are delicate almond confections with sweet fillings. The appeal of these snacks is that they're limitless: macarons come in every gorgeous color and any flavor combination you can imagine. The popularity of these delicate sweets seems to be a reaction to the recent cupcake fad - whereas cupcakes are (usually) dense, exploding with flavor, and topped with a huge cloud of sugary frosting, macarons are a more refined and subtle treat.