Menu Trends 2012

Multi cuisine is more or less out and multi specialty is in. Discerning customers of today want to savor specialized world cuisine/s seated on the same table. Hence the need for restaurants to hire multi cultural chefs to keep the cuisine/s alive.  The trends are also going the ingredient way; menus which boast of customized ingredients from across the globe stand an edge.

As far as presentation goes, the trend which started sometime back of beauty in simplicity is going great guns. The concept has evolved extremely well and is all set to change the very essence of food presentations. All kinds of tacky, cluttered, multicolored mish-mash is definitely out. As far as food is concerned the ingredients are suddenly visible and not under layers of marinations, accompaniments, sauces and gravies. The visible ingredients are fresh, natural, subtle, appetizing and bold !

 

The great news is that Indian ethnic food is getting a quick make over in Indian restaurants. New-age Indian food is in and we’ve got to make it stay. It gives a whole new dimension to how Indian food was always perceived and now that the sophistication is creeping in steadily it opens up new challenges to the Indian chefs to put on his creative caps and also keep the heritage and culinary depth of the cuisine alive.  Indian food is also set to find new alliances getting married to global wines as the trend is picking up big way.

Health Café, Health Bar, Haute Cuisine, Tuscan, Albanian, Iberian, Tahitian; the new-age customers have developed insatiable palette for more and the versatile. So bring it all on, there will be hardly any eye-brows raised !

In todays scenario it is also very important to be aware. Ponder on the following :

I.  Healthy and fresh ingredients are not so healthy any more most of them are laden with harmful chemicals so the most basic thing is to wash them really well, again and again. Look out for any signs of discoloration, bitterness or even allergic reactions .

II. Brush up your knowledge on Genetically Modified foods( GM Foods). They always look the most attractive and healthy in the supermarket but look for valid accreditions. 

III. Always buy food which can be traced back. Like branded rice, flour, grains, cereals, milk even sweets are still better than to buy them from the open market. Food adulteration is so rampant you will never know what is the real thing !

The mantra for 2012 would be to rededicate oneself to provide culinary surprises, exemplary cuisines and out-of-the-box concepts and experiences.

By : Devraj Halder