Social media has dictated the many trends that have come and gone over the years. Millions of people all over the world are utilizing these online platforms to stay connected. The UK alone has over 53 million people who are registered and actively use social media. This is around 77.9% of the country’s entire population and is predicted to continue increasing within the year.
Because numerous social media platforms have a wide userbase, it’s become easier to spread different trends, particularly in food. This includes new techniques, dishes, and recipes people are making. Here are just a few of the food trends that started out on social media:
Smoothie bowls
There has been a rise in people going on plant-based diets. Some of the main motivators for this are sustainability, cost, and health. As younger generations become more invested in this lifestyle, they are also finding ways to make it trendy and appealing to their followers on social media. One of the foods they’ve created is smoothie bowls.
This is a dish where frozen fruits (like bananas, strawberries, or acai berries) are blended together with milk alternatives (like oat or soy), and sweeteners. Many people also add grains like oats or granola to get their fill of carbohydrates. This dish is typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack because it is both healthy and filling. It is easily customizable, making it a simple meal to whip up if you want something quick but still attractive enough to post on your feed.
One-pot meals
Another trendy concept popularized by social media is one-pot meals. As the name suggests, they are full meals with carbohydrates, meats, and vegetables all cooked using one pot. Though there are many other tools that can be used when creating these dishes, a rice cooker is one of the best options for doing so.
This is because quality rice cookers have numerous functions and adjustable settings that make them the perfect piece of cookware. They can also be used as a steamer or pressure cooker when set correctly. There are many dishes that can be cooked with them, like ginger and chicken rice, macaroni and cheese, or even beef —all falling under the one-pot meal category. One-pot meals became popular due to the number of people sharing knowledge of how to cook while having a busy schedule or limited resources. There have been many videos on YouTube dedicated to teaching people how to prepare these dishes.
Television show food
People often try to recreate things they see on television, whether these are outfits that characters wore or props they used. But another thing that many have attempted to imitate are meals they have seen on their favourite series.
One of the pioneers of this concept is YouTube’s own Andrew Rea, also known as Binging with Babish. On his channel, the cook recreates different meals as seen on television including sandwiches from Bob’s Burgers, fish fingers and custard from Doctor Who, and even the lasagna found in The Sims 4. Because step-by-step instructions are readily available, many people are challenging themselves to recreate these dishes and upload their renditions to social media.
With more and more people utilizing different social media sites, what’s popular in food is becoming easier to share and follow. These are just a few of the recent trends that have surfaced thanks to platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
Exclusively written for chaucerfoods.com By Vivian Simmons
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