What do Cheese Curds and Turmeric Have in Common?

Search engine giant Google has released this year’s Food Trends Report, which is a fascinating compilation of data that can provide insight on the kinds of foods people are most curious about, what recipes are trending, and where the eating habits of the world are headed. This is useful information for anyone even remotely interested in food and how it might best please the guests at your next catered event. Since we’re an event design and catering company, it’s deeply interesting to us—we thought we’d go ahead and share some of our biggest takeaways from this year’s report so that you can apply the ideas to your own culinary creations or the ones that we prepare for you.

Cheese Curds and Turmeric?

Among some other unexpected entries, cheese curds and turmeric are popular searches, specifically how one might use them in dishes. Turmeric has risen in popularity thanks to its many notable health benefits, and cheese curds—while not quite as high on the “superfood” scale—are also deceptively good for you under the right circumstances. This leads into the primary observation we’ve had from this year’s Google report, and that’s while the popularity of classical foods remains strong, more and more people are expressing an interest in healthier foods. We’d like to think that this is a very good thing, since we’ve always believed that just because something is healthy doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious.

Rising Interest in Healthy Eating

How do vegan donuts sound to you? Or cauliflower rice? Do you know what jackfruit is and why it’s a bizarrely perfect healthy alternative to pulled pork?

These are the questions that Google users have been turning to the search company for answers to in droves. It’s clear that people are developing a more nuanced understanding of the benefits of healthy eating, and they want to learn more about preparing and consuming foods which are good for their bodies.

Continued Popularity of Classic Foods

While less commonly known healthy foods are being explored en masse, some of the most popular foods still remain frequently searched. We noticed that pastas and noodles are particularly popular, with ramen dishes topping the list, followed up closely by linguine, rigatoni, and other comfort food style pasta recipes. Bundt cakes and uncured bacon also made Google’s list of sustained risers, meaning that even though we’re developing a more sophisticated palette for healthy foods like vegan donuts, we still deeply enjoy the rich flavors of our past.

What This Means for Your Next Catered Event

We live in an era of nearly unlimited choices; from the way we decorate our events to the food we serve—so why not provide your guests with the options that the research indicates they’re the most likely to be interested in? Serve a decent proportion of innovative healthy foods. Even if cheese curds don’t make your list and you’d rather not have everything doused in turmeric, there are many delicious, healthy foods to choose from. Alongside these healthy dishes, select a few classics, even if they’re laden with carbs. Your guests will appreciate the variety and choice.

How to Learn More

If you’d like to learn more about popular food and event design trends, let en Ville Event Design and Catering be your personal guide. We’ve been in the business for over twenty years and have served countless satisfied customers in the greater Toronto area. To speak with a knowledgeable and polite representative, please feel warmly encouraged to reach out to us at (416) 533-8800 so that we can help you make your next event a success.