New Food Trends #8: Foodie Experimentation or My Mommy Umami

The word “foodie” has entered the mainstream, and rather than being a term designating something like a food nerd, it is now worn as a badge of honor. It simply designates someone who loves food and loves to try new things. Who is it that is ordering the Lobster PB&J sandwich? The foodies, that's who, the same people who as kids dipped their Mickey D's french fries in their vanilla shakes. They'll try anything once and this willingness is going to spread. That's why there's a new trend towards foodie experimentation.

There are all kinds of food adventures waiting. Chocolate covered bacon? Fries covered in caramel? What the heck. Who wouldn't love mac and cheese full of succulent crab, and never mind about not combining seafood and cheese. That is part of the appeal too. The idea of combining a highfalutin ingredient – crab – with your traditional commoners comfort food – mac and cheese. A casual party of the upper and lower classes, relaxed and fun!  It's as though a significant portion of the population has suddenly gotten pregnant - men included - and they must satisfy their oddball midnight food cravings, and they have no fear.

You'll also see more exotic meats and vegetables appearing in restaurants and grocery store shelves. How about game meat? Wild Boar meatloaf, Yak burgers, Kangaroo sausage or Bear steaks, and get a bowl of Iguana soup while you're at it. Bar food will trend towards upscale too, where you'll order sushi instead of chicken wings. It's as though we've discovered a whole new palate, and it may not be a coincidence that a fifth taste has been identified: Umami. Defined as a “pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate,” umami occurs naturally in some foods such as fish, meat, dairy products, and vegetables.

It's a very subtle taste, and while most people don't recognize it when they eat it, it does play an important part in making food delicious. Previously, only sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes had been identified. So what other taste sensations await us? There's no telling, but foodies everywhere will partake in the search.

Think of this trend like this: We have a new mindset about food, a mindset that encourages us to experiment and seek out new taste sensations, new cooking enlightenment, new dining experiences.  The coming adventure in food may change what we eat and the way we eat it. The unmistakable trend is foodie experimentation.

(Recently, International Food Futurists, The Food Network, and Culture Waves conducted a joint project to determine the top 10 food trends. It is from their list that this article was written.)