2024 food trends predictions, where to get a taste in Asheville
ASHEVILLE - In the fast-paced world of food and beverage, consumers are keeping in stride with wanting the hottest menu items restaurants can offer.
The industry continues to shift toward more innovative approaches to intrigue guests long before they arrive at the table by incorporating more social media tools to entice and entertain audiences.
Meanwhile, menus are becoming more diversified and celebrating of regional foods, domestically and internationally. Social media and regional “stars” are influencing restaurants to become more creative, introduce new and original dishes, and help create more of a buzz about their menus.
The National Restaurant Association surveyed more than 1,500 culinary professionals across the country who saw these and other trends on the rise for its “2024 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast.”
Based on consumer behavior, experts noticed a growing appeal for comfort foods that warm diners from the inside out, like soups and stews, and more international flavors being incorporated on menus across the U.S.
In Asheville, local restaurants and food businesses are ahead of the game with trendy foods and beverages already on their menus and shelves with engaging and entertainment content generated on social media platforms showcasing some of their best offerings.
Here are some items expected to become more popular in the U.S. in 2024 and where to get a taste of them in Asheville.
World stage soups and stews
The overall vote for top food is "world stage soups and stews," including birria, chicken tom kha, laksa, salmorejo and upscale ramen.
Tom kha and ramen are featured on menus across the area, including Heiwa Shokudo, a downtown eatery that specializes in ramen and sushi.
Siam Thai, Thai Pearl and Suwana Asian Cuisine are a few of the places where guests may pull up to a bowl of tom kha, a coconut milk-based Thai-style soup prepared with Asian vegetables and a choice of protein, such as chicken, pork, tofu or seafood.
Global chicken wings
Just try to resist piling up chicken wings at local joints like Haywood Lounge and Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack. A part of the fun is exploring the many styles, seasoned rubs and sauce flavors.
Nashville Hot topped the list of top flavors. At Rocky’s, customers can choose their heat level whether on chicken wings or pieces or sandwiches.
The experts predict an increase in craving for global flavors incorporated into chicken wings. The Golden Pineapple is on top of the trend with gochujang butter and yellow sriracha buffalo fried chicken wings among the options, served with blue cheese and kombu cucumbers.
And double up on trending hits at Little Bee Thai, which has spicy chicken wings and tom kha on its menu.
Other top flavors that made the list are Everything Bagel Spice, agave syrup, turmeric ginger and hibiscus.
International barbecue
In the land of Carolina barbecue, explore more international styles. Culinary experts are seeing an uptick in barbecue past U.S. borders.
In Asheville, Stonebowl Korean offers proteins like short beef rib, chicken, pork, salmon whole squid and mackerel served in various grilled dishes.
The restaurant’s popular stonebowl entrées are served traditionally in a piping hot bowl full of sizzling proteins, vegetables and rice.
Grilled and cooked cheeses
For those who can’t get enough cheese, there’s good news in the forecast as grilled and cooked cheeses are showing up on more menus, according to the experts. However, these dishes take the standard American and cheddar on toast to the next level with styles like provoleta, queso fundido, raclette, halloumi and juustoleipa.
Gourmand, a local catering company that specializes in French fare, recently hosted a pop-up with Botanist & Barrel for a raclette dinner party with a menu of hot, melty cheese scraped from the round onto ingredients like potatoes and paired with wine.
Queso fundido is often served flambé-style with chorizo and other additions in the hot, melted bowl of cheese, which one may find at La Carretta’s North and South Asheville and Weaverville locations.
Or do it yourself and stop by South Slope Cheese Co. to stock up on a wide selection of cheeses and learn about the preparation techniques, including halloumi and raclette.
Stuffed vegetables
Stuffed vegetables are expected to make a resurgence in the mainstream with dishes like chiles en nogada, stuffed peppers and stuffed cabbage rolls.
European Market in Arden sells fresh, homemade stuffed peppers and cabbage prepared and refrigerated for easy at-home preparation.
Top ingredients
The National Restaurant Association’s survey findings state that wagyu beef, root vegetables and birria are predicted to be the most popular ingredients for dishes like tacos, sandwiches, nachos, poutine and pasta. And beyond soup, birria is expected to be prepared in fresh, innovative ways.
In a region rich and ripe with agriculture, diners don’t have to look far or hard to find root vegetables on menus at local restaurants – or any tailgate markets or directly sold by area farms.
Murasaki's "The Legend of the Ten Rings" sushi roll consists of lobster and fried asparagus that’s drizzled with Japanese mayo and topped with A5 wagyu beef, truffle salt, scallions and chili threads.
Cannabis-infused dishes are considered an “emerging” item that culinary professionals are seeing more.
In Asheville, follow Franny’s Farm’s Pasta & Prana food truck for artisanal, small-batch, high-protein hemp pasta, also available for retail sale at Franny’s Farmacy stores.
And hang out at local nonalcoholic bars like Café Canna and Elevated Kava for handcrafted beverages that may be boosted with ingredients like Delta 8 and CBD or kava.
Top condiments
The three top condiments of 2024 are predicted to be chili crisp, tajin and chipotle ketchup with tkemali, pandan and golden berry not far behind.
Chef J Chong, a finalist on HBO Max’s “The Big Brunch” who specializes in Cantonese cuisine, sells signature, handcrafted chili crisp oil and scallion ginger garlic sauce, dumplings and more at the North Asheville Tailgate Market on Saturdays.
Top beverages
Nitro cold brew claimed the top spot for the leading drink of 2024.
In Asheville, nitro cold brew is offered at local coffee shops such as Earthling Coffee and Ultra Coffeebar.
Energy drinks and functional waters enhanced with health-focused ingredients and “intriguing” flavors like black currant, dragonfruit and hibiscus are in the second and third spots.
Not far behind are the emerging beverages zero-proof spirits, CBD drinks and tepache brewed with pineapple peels.
Top alcoholic beverages are botanical cocktails, hard coffees and low-alcohol cocktails.
More zero-proof beverages and destinations are popping up across the Asheville area such as The Mule, a bar by Devil’s Foot Beverage Co., and the Roll Up Herbal Bar, a mobile mocktail bar based in Waynesville.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: 2024 top trending foods, where to find them in Asheville
