First, I want to reassure readers that this Nibbles column is not written by an AI bot; at least not at the moment. However, advanced technology is very much on the menu in 2024.
I probed the web to assemble the following real news about what you’ll be eating — and what will be cooking it in the coming year.
I robot. You customer.
A fully automated restaurant called CaliExpress by Flippy in Pasadena, California, will check in customers using biometric verification as robots prepare the food, according to The Robot Report.
You will soon be able to browse recipes and order ingredients directly from Kroger stores through GE Appliances’ smart ovens and Flavorly AI.
The new Heinz Remix dispenser allows customers to personalize bases like Heinz Ketchup, Ranch and BBQ Sauce with enhancers like Smoky Chipotle and Mango at three flavor intensity levels with 200 potential sauce combinations. We predict long lines at these machines.
Mintel Food & Drink reports that 38% of Italian consumers are willing to try augmented reality (like VR headsets) to enhance their food and drink experiences.
Ube goes big in 2024
Custom flavor developer T. Hasegawa named ube, a purple root from the Philippines, as ’24’s Flavor of the Year.
Meanwhile, syrup maker Monin selected ube as its Flavor of the Year. The purple syrup has “nutty earthy, sweet undertones and hints of fig, cinnamon and vanilla,” according to the company.
According to the spice and seasoning experts at McCormick’s, tangy tamarind will be its Flavor of the Year. Other hot flavors: calamansi (a citrus native to the Philippines), sour orange and plum.
Do you gochujang?
It’s scary that Yelp’s 2024 Food and Drink Trends are based on the searches of 33 million users and they want caviar bumps, girl dinners, carajillo (a coffee cocktail) and tsukemen — cold ramen noodles.
Dataessential reports Buffalo-style cauliflower is now on 1.4% of menus in the United States. Compare that to tacos, now found on 15.2% of menus, sometimes only on Tuesdays.
Calamansi and lemony cucamelons are on the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot 2024 list, along with Nashville hot chicken and birria stew.
Technomic’s 2024 Global Restaurant Trends Forecast predicts Korean gochujang sauce and bibimbap will gain fans, along with solo dining, Halal-certified meats and drinking yogurts.
What we really eat
According to DoorDash, the top five most-ordered foods nationwide are fries, chicken quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, garlic naan and spicy chicken sandwiches.
According to a new Limitless Cooking national survey, the five most-liked dishes among Americans are mashed potatoes, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese and steak with a baked potato.
EzCater surveyed 1,000 workers about sandwiches. About 69% ranked mayo as the top condiment.
SPAM, the canned meat product, will be hot in ’24, according to both Craft Media and Datassential.
Using search data from 482 million users, Pinterest Predicts 2024 says that tropical vacation-themed foods like crushed pineapple upside down cake will be hot.
Some good green food news
Nourish Ingredients has introduced Tastilux, an animal-free fat that closely mimics the cooking properties, aroma and taste of meat when used with plant-based chicken, beef and pork.
According to Tastewise, innards, offal and animal organs are on the table. “Consumers demand it all without compromise, and a surprising ingredient is primed to disrupt the scene, offering health, indulgence and savings: offal,” the company reports.
Animal advocacy group PETA reports a ’24 boom in vegan seafood such as “whitefish” made with smoked celeriac root.
Whole Foods Market’s top predictions for 2024 include new plant-based meats made with mushrooms, walnuts and tempeh, and faux sushi such as trumpet mushroom “scallops.”
An Oxford University food study of 55,000 people found that a person eating a high meat diet accounted for about 22.58 pounds worth of carbon dioxide production per day. Vegans accounted for only about 5.45 pounds per day.
Soylent Foods is offering a bright green Soylent Mint Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake. According to the company’s website, Soylent’s green drink is not “people.”
“We assure you — no bodies were harmed in the making of our products,” the company writes. “Our formulas are powered by plants, not people.”
Local food news: New Italian market
Chef Marco Monnanni opened Alta Cucina, a new market at 2021 Broadway in Boulder offering imported Italian ingredients.
Boulder’s Nopalito’s Mexican Restaurant reopened at 1805 29th St., Suite 1138.
According to Colorado-born Chipotle Mexican Grill, Boulder residents are the biggest consumers per capita of Chipotle’s burritos and bowls in the nation.
Starting Jan. 1, the City of Boulder’s disposable bag fee now applies to all retail outlets, not just grocery stores. Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Act now requires that polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups and food containers be eliminated, although eateries can use up their remaining Styrofoam supply.
The James Beard Award-nominated Casian Seafood has closed at 211 North Public Road in Lafayette.
Longmont Public House has closed at 1111 Francis St.
The freshly charred bread and butter service at Denver’s Bruto made the New York Times list of 23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023.
Denver airport dining upgrade
In 2024, Boulder’s Santo will be dishing breakfast burritos, tacos and green chile at Denver International Airport. Other new local eateries opening at DIA are Maria Empanada, Williams & Graham, Tocabe and The Bagel Deli, D Bar and ChoLon.
Taste of the week: The new Big Mac
Clearly feeling the heat from Five Guys, Good Times, In-N-Out and Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s just introduced a new, upgraded version of its signature burger, the Big Mac. According to Wall Street Journal, McDonald’s has made more than 50 modifications to their burgers in a seven-year process.
Unboxing my first “new” Big Mac in my car, I was impressed by the tastier, golden brown, brioche-like three-layer bun. The beef patties cooked in smaller batches with onions (a la White Castle) are more moist and a little tastier, yet still very thin and cooked very well done. The cheese is indeed meltier because the sandwich is served hotter. More “secret” mayo-ketchup sauce has been added to the lettuce and pickles.
The result is that the Big Mac is a big mess. You can’t actually pick it up. Sauce soaks the unnecessary middle bun with lettuce flying everywhere.
In 2024, the “better” Big Mac I bought for $6.31 — sans fries or drink — is a relatively tiny sandwich. It may be fast food, but it’s far from cheap eats.
Words to chew on: Crunchy critters
“The only limitation we have with preparing and eating insects is with our own imagination.” — Chef Joseph Yoon
(In 2024, Netherlands’ Kyran Knauf Co. is releasing Crikorama, a home tabletop device for breeding and harvesting crickets for your tacos and salads.)
John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles and Kitchen Table Talk on KGNU-FM. Podcasts: kgnu.org/category/radio-nibbles