Pies, Hot Dogs and Other Food Trends for 2011

Image courtesy of ellyjonez via Flickr.

Various trend-spotters have released their predictions for 2011 food trends. Chief among them are pies and hot dogs, which sounds about right: Simple, nostalgic foods have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity during the recession.

Food trends have been around forever, but it seems like they've recently become more of a subject of interest in pop culture.

Here are seven food trends of yesteryear.

1. Bacon
   Is this trend just barely over, or still current? This is one of the great mysteries of our time. The Lardon bacon truck in Los Angeles is still alive and well, and ThinkGeek still has more bacon products than is reasonable. Still, I'd argue that the bacon trend peaked about a year ago, at the same time that hedonistic foods like the KFC Double Down were making headlines.


2. Chipotle Chiles
   Around 2006, chipotle chiles came into the spotlight and have largely stuck around. Restaurants went crazy with products like chipotle mayonnaise and chipotle burgers, and Chipotle Tabasco sauce emerged. Although I'm not sure about the rest of the country, chipotle has become a standard flavor here in southern California.


3. Cupcakes
   In 2000, cupcakes frosted their way onto the scene. Many people attribute the cupcake trend to an episode of Sex and the City in which Sarah Jessica Parker eats a cupcake while she's out conspicuously consuming. Although some people argue that macarons are replacing cupcakes as the new dessert trend, Martha Stewart thinks that cupcakes are here to stay.


4. Fondue
   In the late 1960s and early 1970s, fondue was all the rage in the United States. Fondue cooking equipment sold like crazy, and "fondue parties" were popular. Recently, it's made something of a comeback, with restaurants like The Melting Pot springing up. I haven't heard of any fondue parties lately, but check out Julia's post about how to make fondue at home if you're interested in bringing the trend back.


5. Onion rings
   While their origins are unclear, onion rings enjoyed their heyday in the post-World War II diner craze. As suburbs sprang up, so did diners, and the popularity of onion rings followed suit. Like a lot of comfort food, onion rings seem to be in style again here in the 2010s.


6. Food trucks
   I realize that this is the only non-food item on the list, but I couldn't ignore the trendiness of food trucks. Taco trucks have been around for some time, but "nouveau" trucks selling many other food varieties came into their own in the late 2000s. In 2008, dessert trucks were a fad in New York. In 2009, Kogi Korean Barbecue became wildly popular in Los Angeles. Most people cite Kogi's success as the beginning of the food truck craze in LA. Now, there are huge numbers of trucks both here and in New York, as well as in Austin and Portland.


7. Macaroni and Cheese
   Early variations of macaroni and cheese date back to the 1300s, but became fashionable in the United States in the early 1800s. Thomas Jefferson is reported to have served it at the White House in 1802, marking the start of the dish's popularity. Interestingly, macaroni and cheese was considered a very upperclass dish being made with expensive ingredients like cream and hand-cut pasta. Today, macaroni and cheese has a fairly lowbrow image. Not only is it a comfort food, it's available in boxes for incredibly cheap.

What other food trends do you know of?