Food Trends 2021
We're here to tell you why you're suddenly in search of Aleppo Pepper, Kimchi, Flavoured Salt, Black Garlic, and Guanciale. It's a food trend!
We're here to tell you why you're suddenly in search of Aleppo Pepper, Kimchi, Flavoured Salt, Black Garlic, and Guanciale. It's a food trend!
A bit like hem lengths and hairstyles, food trends sneak into our collective sub conscious and before you know it, we’re all expanding our store cupboards (mine now stretch from the kitchen to the hall!) in a bid to create space for this year’s must have spice, bowl or beans!
If we’re honest – we love it! A bit like the fashionistas and their latest handbag we are slaves to a new ingredient, dreaming of the many dishes we’re going to create, the adulation we’ll receive from friends and family and the skyrocketing of our Instagram followers.
Only kidding. We rarely remember to take a pic as we guzzle down our efforts, oo-ing and ahh-ing with full mouths, and our family, whilst grateful, aren’t really the adulating types. Although, to be fair, this is probably due to the fact our experimental cooking has produced as many horror stories as it has successes over the years!
Our love, therefore, is pure and simple, and comes only from the sheer joy and pleasure of cooking, eating and drinking the good stuff! Food trends serve only to fuel this; keeping things interesting and updating old favourites with fresh flavours and modern twists.
2020 rekindled a love of cooking in many of you – one small positive out of the pandemic is that we have welcomed in a new generation of PB customers – and 2021 looks set to build on this with a smorgasbord of ideas and trends coming your way! We’ve chosen some of the highlights from the industry boffins, to ensure your all ahead of the curve – remember you heard it here first.
As a way of preserving this has been around for centuries and even as food trends go, its had a few years at the top. However, where 2020 had us rushing for the pickling spices as we attempted to transform our garden harvests into colourful jars of kimchi, pickled cucumbers, and more, this year is all about enjoying the artisanal creations from the experts. PHEW!
Try these great products or have a browse around our Pickled and Fermented department >
If you’re a gardening genius, pick up some pickling spices here >
Perhaps it’s a direct result of not being permitted to sit down with friends, breaking bread and pouring wine that we’ve come back to this simple way of presenting and sharing food. At their heart, grazing boards are really very basic peasant food – cheese, meats, preserved vegetables and bread.
But like all good food trends they have been given a modern make-over and transformed into showstopping centrepieces for garden parties and get togethers – minimal kitchen time and more hanging with your pals makes them the must-do trend as we re-emerge hungry for the company of our loved ones.
Buy the boards too! We have some gorgeous boards hand-crafted right here in Perthshire from fallen trees. Find them in our gifting department >
Artisan and smoked salts are really taking off in a big way and can be used both in your cooking and as a seasoning on the table.
Loved by chefs the world over, many keen cooks have been using popular choices such as celery salt and smoked salt for years. And now, with their popularity on the increase, these clever ingredients are more widely available and making their way into our homes
We love using these great products as a dry rub for meats, either alone or with a variety of spices, and vegetarians will find smoked salt a superb substitute for bacon pieces in pasta dishes. You can also add gentle flavours to hot buttered popcorn or homemade caramel and we can confirm it is amazing over roasted peaches with vanilla cream.
All of our speciality salts are handcrafted in Small Batches.
A number of you have been asking for this for a while and I’m delighted to say we received our first delivery just in time for it to fit the trend table. You clever lot are always one step ahead!
A Turkish staple, just a little sprinkle of these deep red, mild chilli flakes will bring out the flavour of everything on your plate. From roasted halloumi to grilled prawns, meat, beans, salads, and dip. This spice is about half as hot as the crushed red chilli flakes you may be used to; like salt, Aleppo pepper is more of a flavour enhancer. It marries slow-building heat with earthy, cumin-y undertones and a little hit of fruity tang.
In case you’re wondering what the difference is between Pul Biber and Aleppo Pepper the answer is nothing! They’re two different names for the same ingredient.
The Spanish name for chickpeas, garbanzos, are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein they make an excellent replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan diets – or in addition to it for the omnivores!
Ours come from El Navarrico, the most well regarded of all Spanish pulse companies, who use traditional methods to process their amazing crop selection.
Using Castellano chickpeas for their garbanzo jars, they are cooked beautifully so that they retain some bite, whilst being tender and moist.
Garbanzo beans are remarkably versatile and ideal for casseroles, in salads or to make hummus. They are also an excellent product if you want to make real fast food – throw in a pot with garlic, shallots, canned tomatoes and some spinach and herbs and top with a salty feta before serving with crusty bread.
Along with several other Itialian charcuterie and meats, Guanciale is having a moment in the foodie sun. Essential to an authentic carbonara, Guanciale pork meat comes from the jowl or cheek of the pig, and its devotees claim there is no substitute for it.
This delectable, robustly flavoured meat is seasoned on the surface with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and garlic although it's worth noting that seasoning may change region to region based on tradition and curing habits. It is then dried and aged for at least 3 months, a process which concentrates the flavours.
Black garlic is a type of aged garlic which gets it’s colour from the caramelization process. Currently found on the menus of foodie hotspots everywhere, this unique ingredient has actually been used for flavour and medicinal purposes in Asian cultures for centuries.
It is the product of aging regular garlic bulbs over the course of weeks or months and it requires strictly regulated temperature and humidity to achieve its sticky consistency. With a softer, molasses-like flavor, it is a more delicate option than the raw bulb and it also has added health benefits, including twice the amount of antioxidants than in its regular form.
It’s versatile and can be swapped out for regular garlic in most recipes and is a beautiful addition to any cheese plate and also gives that extra something to a pasta or pizza.
As we re-enter the workforce, and the kids go back to school, the luxury of extra time will soon be a thing of the past. That’s probably why ready-to-go fine freezer foods are having something of a moment! We want quick, easy and effortless with the taste and flavour of a homecooked meal.
We stock Praveen Kumar frozen meals here at Provender Brown and they really are a delicious alternative to a homemade curry. Packed full of flavour and fresh ingredients, Prav’s meals are all handmade by a team of chefs right here in perth!
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Packed full of news from the deli, you'll find recipe ideas, new products, producer interviews and lots of really interesting chat that us foodies like to get excited about!