Food Trends for 2010

Professional culinary trend spotters may crunch numbers, poll diners and quiz chefs before issuing their predictions for next year's food scene, but their annual pronouncements hardly qualify as hard science. In most cases, food forecasters go with their gut.

In that spirit, Slashfood consulted a few psychics to find out what 2010 holds for the nation's eaters. Surprisingly or not, nearly all their readings jived with prophecies put out by fancy restaurant consulting firms.

Simplicity

"They keep showing me something happening with carrots," PsychicCenter.com's Jen Virginia sighed when asked what ingredients would be big in 2010. "I'm not sure what, but I'm getting carrots."

Diners will likely get their share of carrots too, thanks to a widespread infatuation with basic ingredients that got their start in gardens, not chemical laboratories. "The emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients will grow and flower," promises food research firm Technomic, pinning the trend to the newly created White House garden.

"People are looking for edibles they can trust ... which is why chefs are planting their own vegetable gardens," according to a report from consulting company Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. Hardy veggies like carrots, which can thrive in a variety of climates, are likely to claim the "fresh and local" mantle in restaurants across the country.

Communal Eating

And just how will all these rustic dishes be served? Not by bow-tied waiters, says Psychic Source's Jean (who, like many sages, has dispensed with her surname). "More self-service," she decreed. "Even in the more upscale restaurants, they'll have people doing their own stuff."

Or, as Joseph Baum and Michael Whiteman describe it, "Sharing is the key. Sharing responds to consumers' needs for comfort and safety."

Baum and Whiteman envision the standardization of Thanksgiving service, with diners feasting family-style on one main protein and an array of side dishes. Small plates, they say, will give way to giant plates portioned for a crowd. The emphasis is no longer on how many flavors an individual diner can experience, but on how many friends get to share them.

Value-Added Food

While Jean is "picking up raw foods. Lots and lots of raw foods," for 2010, most psychics and industry insiders agree highly engineered food will be extraordinarily popular. According to Baum & Whiteman's report, "food companies now are scrambling for additives that make you healthier and more beautiful." That means dried fruit spiked with collagen; bread amped up with omega-3 and cocktails enhanced with guarana, acai and goji berries.

"The big thing is healthier eating," Jen Virginia says. "I do see a big trend in people focusing on Vitamins D and K. Anything supporting the glands will be big."

The experts at the Food Channel agree: "Expect food to either have nutrients added, or have the word 'free' (gluten-free, allergy-free)," they write.

Beyond Bi Bim Bap

Gourmands have nearly exhausted the global pantry, leading the Food Channel to predict American food will be 2010's leading ethnic cuisine. But Anya Dawn of California Psychics thinks diners aren't yet ready to confine their appetites to the domestic scene: "Restaurants offering more obscure world cuisine will go over well," she e-mails.

Restaurant trend watchers think diners' continuing interest in international foods could tilt toward Korea. Technomic predicts Korean barbecue and Korean-style tacos will hit the mainstream in 2010, while Baum & Whiteman's fond of "Korean fried chicken, invisibly coated, amazingly flavorful and fried twice for ultra-crunch."

Comfort Food & Comfort Prices

As Jacqueline of California Psychics points out that diners are continuing to view mealtime as a haven from economic woes. They're eating food that makes them feel good: "Food will be a way for people to stabilize themselves through the next year," she e-mails. According to Technomic, cassoulets, chili and other bean-based dishes will get the mac-and-cheese treatment this year, as chefs add artisanal ingredients and luxurious touches to the traditional rib-sticking classics.

"That's what's behind the explosion of 'gourmet' hamburgers smothered in Manchego cheese and Iberian ham, or french fries revved up with truffle oil," Baum & Whiteman explains. "Customers are trading down in order to trade up!"

Out on a Limb

Although psychics and their non-clairvoyant brethren are in agreement on most points, a few predictions stood out for their general lack of endorsement. Only Technomic is calling for restaurants to serve breakfast day and night. Self-proclaimed "supermarket guru" Phil Lempert is the only forecaster attuned to the potential popularity of "relaxation foods," while California Psychics' Rondalafay will get points if "flavor parties" become the leading way to entertain. So who's right? Only 2010 will tell.