Food trends in the recent past have centered on the health benefits provided by "superfoods," a buzzword for nutritious and healthy food. Although cauliflower, kale, and their superfood friends are likely to stick around for a while, new foods are on the 2021 scene.

1. Sourdough

Odds are you know at least one person who spent their quarantine learning to bake sourdough bread. Baking sourdough bread is a time-consuming task, making it an ideal hobby for lockdown if you want to zone out.

Sourdough is also comfort food, and 2021 will be all about comfort foods. Throughout 2020, people have gifted sourdough starters to one another. This may provide a sense of connection with loved ones while we cannot physically gather together.

In 2021, we may see restaurants joining the sourdough craze by adding it to their menus.

2. Pasta Alternatives

For many, pasta is comfort food, and nothing makes you need comfort food more than a global pandemic. However, with the growing number of people on diets such as Keto or gluten-free, the call for pasta alternatives has become louder.

We predict that pasta alternatives will jump from grocery shelves to some restaurant menus before 2021 is over.

Want to try pasta alternatives yourself? Look for ingredients such as chickpeas, vegetables, and lentils to replace your wheat version.

3. Meat Alternatives 

Meat alternatives have been in the news for a couple of years. First, there was the Beyond Meat Burger, quickly followed by the Impossible Burger. In 2021, lab-grown meat is likely to take center stage.

Lab-grown meat is created with an animal's stem cells. It's meat, but no animal was harmed or died to make it. This alternative is desireable for vegetarians who love meat but don't want to hurt animals and for environmentalists who don't eat meat to lower their carbon footprint.

Watch lab-grown meat become standard fare on restaurant menus across the U.S. (A few other meat alternatives that commonly appear on menus are tofu, tempeh, and jackfruit.)

4. Frozen Meals

2021 will be the year that "TV dinners" become less stigmatized. Frozen meals have come a long way in the last few years in terms of how great they taste, the quality of the ingredients, and the preservatives used to keep them fresh. In recent years, frozen meals have become healthier and more diverse, and they now cater to a plethora of dietary restrictions. 

More people are turning to frozen meals to make life easier. Some people want to eat their meals with as little prep work as possible. Furthermore, people want to do less in-person shopping amid the pandemic, and stocking up on frozen meals can make this easier. Some restaurants are offering to-go prepped meals that can be refrigerated or frozen for later to capitalize on this trend.

5. Spicy Foods

Foodies and chefs across the nation are using spices to bring extra pizzaz to some of their dishes. In fact, Google searches for various spices and spicy recipes are on the rise, indicating that spicy foods will trend in 2021. 

Spicy food may be making a comeback because the loss of taste and smell is a side effect of COVID-19 that may linger for weeks, if not months. People desperate to taste something may indulge in spicier foods as they wait for their senses to recover. 

Spicy food will become more mainstream for a few other reasons as well. For example, ethnic food has become more popular in metropolitan food culture across the U.S. in recent years. Ethnic foods are often healthier than over-processed American food, and people are drawn to the purported health benefits of spices such as turmeric and ginger.

Most of the popular foods of the recent past became trendy because of their health benefits. For many, 2021 is about recovering and healing from the collective trauma of 2020. Comfort foods and easy-to-make meals are the name of the game in 2021.