It should come as no surprise to anyone who, well, eats that bacon has ruled the food scene in recent years. For a while, it seemed bacon was in and on everything, from cupcakes to cornbread. But there's a new food in town, and its name is Pumpkin.
As New York Magazine recently pointed out, pumpkin is everywherein lattes, mass-market bagels, and high-end cocktails. Research firm Datassential even noted in their annual MenuTrends report that more than 60 pumpkin-related dishes appeared on the menus of America's top 250 chain restaurants in the last year, while pumpkin drink offerings increased a whopping 400 percent during the past five years! This seems to indicate that pumpkin popularity is not merely a seasonal phenomenon, but a sea change.
How is it that the lowly pumpkin managed to achieve such swift, startling popularity? Well, it's a bit of a marketing ploy, especially since pumpkin is often flavored with sugar and spices first:
As a marketing tool... pumpkin is perfectly pitched for today's eaters...A pumpkin dish, in the era of the locavore, has connotations of virtue--when you think of pumpkin, you think of something farm-grown and wholesome. That helps make it a permissible indulgence, even when what you're eating is mainly just sugar and spice. Never mind the recipe realities--savor those associations!
So, at least for restaurants, it's not pure pumpkin that has people in a tizzy. In fact, as New York Magazine notes, "pumpkin dishes don't even need any actual pumpkin in them in order to cash in on the warming, autumnal vibe." It's a feeling, an association.
Time will tell if pumpkin (or the idea of pumpkin, really) has the staying power of bacon. Not convinced? You could just combine them (!!) and call it a day.
Read More: Pumpkin Is the New Bacon New York Magazine
Related: What Will Be the Next Bacon? Our Top 5 Trend Predictions
(Image: New York Magazine)
TLC Cooking "Food and Recipes" TLC Cooking has recipes for every occasion and serves up expert advice on how to prepare the perfect meal. Get food and nutrition tips on TLC Cooking. GMA Recipes - ABC News - ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News ... Summer's over! Try this pumpkin recipes from "GMA" chef Emeril Lagasse. Pumpkin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A pumpkin is a gourd -like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae (which also includes gourds). It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the ... Bacon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon (also ... New England Regional Cuisine: The Foods and Recipes of New England The foods and cooking traditions from the northeastern most corner of America. One of the oldest regional cuisines in the country, this area is home to many of ... Small Bites Food Finds in the Lower Hudson Valley Food Finds in the Lower Hudson Valley ... I took one look at my dinner and I knew: This was Small Bites on a plate. No Stir Pumpkin Risotto recipe - Best Recipes No Stir Pumpkin Risotto recipe at Best Recipes. Put all ingredients in sit back with a glass of wine and 30 minutes later dinner is done. Chipotle Pumpkin Soup Recipe Simply Recipes Spicy pumpkin soup with Southwestern flavors of chipotle, cumin, oregano, and served with pepitas, crema fresca, and cilantro. Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes Recipe - ABC News - ABCNews.com - Breaking ... Good Morning America, co-hosted by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Juju Chang and Sam Champion, features recipes by chefs in the GMA kitchen. This recipe for ... Jamie Oliver's Recipes - The New York Times - Breaking News, World ... A recipe for Braised Ligurian Chicken, Risotto and Pappardelle adapted from Jamie Oliver.
No comments:
Post a Comment