4. Digging deep for global inspiration
Consumers have totally embraced the giant cuisine buckets of Asian, Mediterranean and Latin. Even dishes from smaller global categories—Vietnamese, Israeli and Peruvian—have permeated mainstream menus. In 2018, I expect to see operators digging deeper to unearth unique ethnic flavors, ingredients and preparations that will tempt the palates of today’s adventurous diners. While some of the trend forecasters singled out Indian and Filipino as cuisines to watch, I believe Ethiopian is poised to pop. Many Ethiopian dishes are plant-forward, based on lentils, greens and beans, and richly spiced with turmeric, cumin, ginger, chilies, berbere and other on-trend seasonings. And then there’s the bread. Injera is a flat, pliable, gluten-free bread that not only works to sop up the flavorful Ethiopian stews, but can also be used taco- or burrito-style to enclose a filling for easy portability.