Are you the one who's considered to be the "trendy one" in your family or tribe? If so and you're planning on doing a little bit of hosting this holiday season, I thought it would be cool to share with you some of the foods that are going to be super popular, come — what in the world is going on with time?! — 2022. That way, as you're serving up drinks and/or dishes and folks are asking you where the inspiration came from, you can tell them that you already know what's gonna be big next year and you wanted to put them up on game. Ready?
1. Turmeric
It actually doesn't surprise me that turmeric tops the list of food trends for next year. I mean, it's already a spice that's really popular (especially in traditional Indian dishes) and it's got a great reputation for being super beneficial, health-wise, thanks to the active ingredient curcumin that's in it. As far as benefits go, turmeric is good for you because it contains non-inflammatory properties, it's loaded with antioxidants, and it even has the reputation for reducing depression-related symptoms.
From personal experience, I'll just say that because turmeric also tends to be a natural blood thinner, be careful about constantly taking it as a supplement. I used to until I connected it to why the amount of blood that I was losing during my period had increased, significantly so. Still, if you want to use it to prepare some dishes, it's definitely a spice that you want to have in your medicine cabinet.
Turmeric Recipe: Turmeric Chicken and Rice
2. Mocktails
What many vegan alternatives are to meat, that's basically what mocktails are to cocktails because I'm pretty sure you know that they are cocktail-style drinks that are "zero-proof" (which means they have no alcohol in them). While some of you may be reading this and thinking, "Hell, what fun is in that?" because there are so many varieties when it comes to mocktails, they can be highly enjoyable if you want something cocktail-ish in the middle of the day or you want to start off happy hour with a couple of them, so that you won't go overboard on the "real" stuff.
Mocktail Recipe: Mango Mule Mocktail
3. Potato Milk
It seems like every day, there is some sort of new milk alternative. While I'm personally an oat milk gal myself (I used to be all about almond milk until I found out that the preparation process isn't the best for the environment), I am intrigued enough about potato milk that I just might give it a shot.
One of the main reasons why it's caught my attention is because potato milk is high in two vitamins that a lot of us Black women are sometimes low in — vitamins B12 and D. Since it's also a good source of vitamins A, C, and E, along with calcium and iron, plus it's sustainable and environmentally friendly, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, right?
By the way, word on the street is it's not available in stores in the United States but it is fairly easy to make at home.
DIY Potato Milk Recipe: Here
4. Umami
OK, so this point is interesting. If you didn't know, there are five basic tastes — sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory. Well, umami is another word (a Japanese one) for tastes that fall into the savory category. Some foods that come to mind are broths, cooked meats, aged cheeses, seafood, and mushrooms. So, if aromatic-spicy stuff is naturally your thing, 2022 is definitely gonna be your year.
Savory Recipe: Chicken Potpie Galette with Cheddar-Thyme Crust
5. Moringa
Moringa is a plant that grows in India and also in tropical and subtropical places. Its nicknames are "miracle tree" and "drumstick tree" and it comes with an impressive amount of health benefits including the fact that it's a good source of vitamins A, B, C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. When it comes to protecting your liver, strengthening your hair and skin, speeding up the healing process of wounds, lowering your blood sugar levels, and even treating asthma-related symptoms, moringa has you covered. Oh, and if you're wondering what in the world it tastes like, matcha is probably the best comparison.
Moringa Recipe: Vegan Moringa Oatmeal
6. Sunflower Seeds
Ice cream that has sunflower seed oil in it. Sunflower seed butter. Chocolate-covered sunflower seeds. Chile, as far as trendy seeds next year go, sunflower seeds will definitely be topping the list. It's good to know since they contain Vitamin E, plant compounds, protein, and fatty acids. Plus, sunflower seeds can help to fight inflammation and lower blood sugar levels. All solid reasons to add sunflower seeds to your healthy snacks list (if you haven't already).
Sunflower Seeds Recipe: Collard Greens Salad with Ginger and Spicy Seed Brittle
7. CBD-Infused Peanut Butter
With all of the buzz surrounding cannabis, in general, I'm thinking you probably know that there is THC (the main psychoactive cannabinoid in weed that makes you feel "high") and there is CBD (another chemical compound in weed although it isn't psychoactive). The reason why CBD continues to grow in popularity is that it's able to do everything from relieving pain and reducing anxiety to decreasing many cancer-related symptoms and strengthening your circulatory system.
While I would've never thought to pair it with peanut butter, since peanut butter is a good source of Vitamin E, iron, protein, fiber, copper, magnesium, and niacin, I can see why someone would have experimented with it and liked the end results. Anyway, this will be something else to look out for in 2022. From what I've read, it's also a really big thing for dogs; a company that carries it for them is Honest Paws.
DIY CBD-Infused Peanut Butter Recipe: Here
8. Hibiscus
Basically, hibiscus is a flowering plant with a tart taste that is most popular in tea form. And yes, it will be a huge food trend next year as well. Health benefits-wise, hibiscus contains antioxidants that help to fight off free radicals, it's able to lower your blood pressure, it can help to increase your liver's level of health, it assists with removing harmful bacteria from your system and it contains cancer-fighting compounds. And again, while hibiscus is best-known for how it is used in beverages, 2022 is probably going to be the year when you see it prepared in all sorts of different ways.
Hibiscus Recipe: Hibiscus Flower Quesadillas
9. Omakase
This one isn't exactly a food — it's more like a cooking style. Omakase is a Japanese phrase that can be said in restaurants when what you mean to convey to the chef is "I'll leave it up to you." And while you might wonder why in the heck you would do that if you're at a favorite restaurant or you're going to one that is highly recommended, you want to specialize in a dish, yet you're not exactly sure what you want to go in it "omakase" can be the way to go. For obvious reasons (I'm thinking), this goes over best at sushi restaurants; however, if you apply this method elsewhere, you could be in for a pleasant surprise.
Check Out MasterClass's "Omakase Guide: 5 Things to Know Before Trying Omakase"
10. Childhood Favorites
Finally, nostalgia is also going to be big in 2022. Basically, any food that takes you back to your childhood days is something that you will probably have an easier time finding whether it's a certain kind of candy, cereal, drink, or anything else. So, if you want to take your taste buds down a memory lane stroll, next year would be the time to do it. Enjoy!
Where to Buy Vintage Candy: Old Time Candy
Featured image by Getty Images