It was the year that hotels and restaurants boomed. If 2022 was the year of consolidation, 2023 saw restaurants and bars take big leaps. The industry was buoyed by a resurgence in travel as more international trends began to play out. Instagram and, particularly, Reels became all-pervasive as we looked to our social feeds for dining recommendations and wellness tips. Wellness trends that went mainstream during the pandemic continued to stay. Regional cuisines and nostalgia dominated our dining experiences. Indian spirits enjoyed the global spotlight like never before, even as our home bars became fancier while millets became part of urban diets.
Also Read:10 Moments Of Pride For Indian Cuisine And Indian Chefs In 2023
Here Are 9 Food Trends That Were Popular In 2023:
1. The Rise and Rise of Home Bars
We returned to bars and restaurants in huge numbers, but that didn’t reverse a trend that gained traction during the pandemic – the home bar. Many of us unleashed our inner mixologist with better home bar equipment and experimentation with our infusions and tonics. Duty-free shopping boomed as we had more access to international spirits and wines to stock up.
2. From Plant-Based Meat to Lab-Grown Meat
Singapore was one of the first countries to give lab-grown meat a big push, as early as 2020, to counter its heavy reliance on food imports. In a significant move in 2023, US regulators approved the sale of chicken made from animal cells, effectively giving a green light to the lab-grown meat industry. It might be a while before this goes mainstream and impacts markets like India with a large vegetarian population, but it signals a big impetus for the environment.
3. India is the Toast of the World
From taking baby steps in gin and whisky production to becoming a serious player on the global stage, the Indian spirits industry has made rapid progress. In 2023, Indri was voted the best in the show with a double gold at the Whiskies of the World award. Earlier in the year, Broken Bat by Nao Spirits was picked as the Best Gin in Asia at the Gin Guide Awards 2023. The gin makers opted for a process that used Kashmir willow (used for cricket bats) to celebrate India’s love for cricket instead of traditional oak barrels. It’s all part of a bigger trend that is putting Indian spirits in the global spotlight.
4. Global is Mainstream
From Lotus Biscoff milkshakes and cheesecakes in cafes in India’s smaller towns to tiramisu at your tiny neighbourhood bakery, we are seeing a democratization of global food like never before. Blame it on unprecedented travel and global cultural influences thanks to social media and OTT content; the gap in food trends between small-town India and the big cities continues to narrow.
Also Read:Â Top 10 Viral Recipes Of 2023 That Took The Internet By Storm
Global dishes like tiramisu became popular in India in 2023. Image Credit: iStock
5. It Ought to be Good for the Gram
High-quality food presentation has moved on from gimmicky to being staple fare. Instagram has reshaped food presentation like never before, even as smaller restaurants and cafes across India up their presentation game. Restaurants are no longer just focusing on a couple of ‘hero dishes’ but all presentation elements – like crockery and embellishments – have become part of standard fare as restaurants continue to fight for space on social feeds with high-quality food presentation.
6. The Seamless Blend of the F and the B
Bar programs are no longer an afterthought or force-fitted into a restaurant. We’re seeing more restaurants across India seamlessly blending their F&B offering with cocktails that complement the culinary offering and add to the overall restaurant story.
7. Indian Food in a Modern Context
It’s not just bar programs that are seeing Indian ingredients in the mix; we’re seeing a whole wave of restaurants like Loya at the Taj Hotels that are incorporating traditional Indian ingredients and cooking techniques in modern restaurant experiences. It’s the same in our kitchens where nostalgia is driving an interest in traditional ingredients and cooking implements.
8. Millets are Going Mainstream
When India hosted the G20 summit in Delhi in 2023, a menu at one of the dinner events went viral. All courses on the menu were crafted with millets. The course was set when the United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared that 2023 would be the International Year of the Millet following a proposal from India. We’re seeing an unprecedented interest in millets as restaurants add millets to their menus and more people across India add millets to their everyday diets.
9. Zero-Waste Approach
From zero-waste cocktails that creatively use food waste to creatively repurposing leftovers, we’re seeing home chefs and large restaurants and hotels focusing on reducing wastage like never before. More home chefs are buying local ingredients in smaller quantities in a bid to reduce food wastage.
