News

In the last four or five years, food trends appear to have been influenced by several global factors that brought a certain solemnity and earnestness to the kitchen and the table. But this year predictions are that foodies want to let their hair down and enjoy themselves and 2025 will see a return to a sense of fun in the world of food.

Whether this involves munching on overstuffed sandwiches for lunch, sipping on exotic ice-cream floats and savoury cocktails or eating more seaweed and frozen dumplings, there are signs that diners are getting ready to rip up the rule books and enjoy themselves once again. As always, chefs and influential food personalities have breathed new life into some unlikely old favourites, while social media - particularly Tik Tok - continues to have a significant influence on what we eat.

According to National Geographic, some of the biggest food trends forecast for 2025 include: Supercharged sandwiches which are currently taking over lunchtimes across the UK. Indeed, one of last year’s most hyped London openings was Sandwich Sandwich, which drew huge queues for its elaborate and over-the-top creations. In Australia, cafes are hellbent on elevating the humble sandwich to brave new heights by using thick-cut sourdough, white crustless bread, paninis and ciabatta and piling them high with creatively layered fillings such as spiced sriracha and coriander prawns, chargrilled chicken and olives or honey ham, brie and apple.

Crisps are the hot new snack on London restaurant menus, with chefs topping handmade crisps with mussels escabeche, dusted with currywurst spice mix or tossed with Baharat spices, sumac, garlic and parsley. Instant noodles are also back in the limelight thanks to a TikTok trend, which sees them elevated with fancy toppings such as chilli oil, nori and crispy onions. Posh hot dogs, also known as “haute dogs”, will trend this year, according to National Geographic, with Harrods getting in on the act and dishing up gourmet dogs topped with guacamole, chipotle and tortilla chips or truffle mayo, gruyere, fig jam and crispy onions.

On the drinks front, soju, a distilled rice spirit, popular in South Korea will make its way across the globe and become popular in bars and restaurants this year, as will savoury cocktails like the spicy margarita complete with a salty tajin seasoning and jalapeno slices or the Tokyo Bloody Mary which comes with a wasabi and pickled ginger kick.

In its food and beverage trends report for 2025, Whole Foods Market highlights seaweed varieties such as sea moss and duck weed as increasingly popular ingredients, acclaimed for their health benefits and sustainable credentials. It’s one that Charl Botha, a Senior Lecturer at Capsicum Culinary Studio’s Cape Town campus agrees with.

“Seaweed is becoming increasingly popular, and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of it on menus and in supermarkets. There was a huge escalation in the consumption of seaweed in Europe in 2024, especially in places like Spain. Not only is it the best source of iodine, which helps support the thyroid gland, it is also rich in vitamin K and B as well as iron and zinc. This along with antioxidants to protect your cells from damage is one of the key reasons why it is gaining popularity.”

Because of the ongoing move towards a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle among many South Africans, Botha feels that local food trends for 2025 will not be vastly different from those of 2024.

“We’re still looking at a couple of things that will probably be trending for the next few years including food sustainability, keeping it local and in season, reducing waste in the kitchens and utilising as much of an item as possible; the ubiquitous nose to tail eating.

“Plant-based items will continue to become popular, and I think we will see a lot more healthier items on our menus going forward.”

Chefs in Australia concur saying that vegetarian recipes are one of the fastest-rising search terms on food websites, not only because they are healthy options but also because, in many cases, they are also budget-friendly.

In that vein, Botha predicts there will be a reduction in the use of refined sugar in favour of natural sugars found in fruits and plants and more gluten-free products on the shelves and on menus.

“With more people becoming gluten intolerant there has been a rise in the number of gluten-free options, and this has become such a big market that even those who aren’t gluten intolerant buy gluten-free products for health reasons.

“Off the Gluten Path (offtheglutenpath.co.za) in Cape Town is an establishment that offers excellent gluten-free and reduced sugar products to consumers and also provides gluten-free breads and other baked products to several restaurants and hotels in the city,” he says.

Back in Australia and New Zealand, stores are seeing mini versions of air fryers, rice cookers, waffle irons, jaffle makers, ice-cream and slushie makers flying off the shelves while on the consumables front, the in-crowd are quenching their thirst with ice-cream floats but substituting Coke or crème-soda but with apéritifs like Aperol.

Also forecast to make an impact will be pickles which will move from being a supporting addition to charcuterie platters to starring roles in everything from drinks and snacks to salads and mains, and even desserts.

Globally and locally, Asian food will have an impact in 2025 with a rise in popularity in items such as gyozas (frozen dumplings), guotie (aka potstickers), bao buns and “tissue bread” - or 1 000 layer bread - a soft, fluffy milk bread baked into ultra-thin layers with a crispy exterior.

In the 17th annual Hospitality Trends Report, presented by af&co + Carbonate, the top trend of the year is predicted to be pistachios.

“Able to skew salty or sweet, pistachios are perfectly ambidextrous and made for our Instagram age where colour is compelling. They’re taking the place of almonds and hazelnuts in pastries, and playing a starring role in savoury salads, sauces, drinks, and much more.”

What’s new is their use in every type of dish or drink at every style of restaurant, from an aged Pekin duck dish (with shallot, Asian pear and Sicilian pistachio butter), to frena, a Moroccan flatbread with pistachio butter, olives, pickled peppers to marinated beets (with red wine glaze, spiced Asian pear, orange, farmer’s cheese and pistachio za’atar), and even a pistachio martini which is served in a wide-mouthed Martini glass, filled to the brim with a mixture of vanilla vodka, amaretto or pistachio liqueur, a splash of blue Curaçao, a glug of Baileys and, depending on which bar you’re sitting at, a scoop of pistachio gelato bobbing at the centre of the glass!

Adds Botha: “And of course they are a great source of protein which is why they have made such an impact in vegetarian and vegan cuisine.”

The report goes on to point out that there are over 46 million views for pistachio-related content on TikTok!

Finally – 2025 will find chefs and cooks experimenting with surprising weird flavour combos.

Last year saw the popular but short-lived Sangria Dessert (vanilla ice-cream topped with red wine and canned fruit salad) and the surprisingly umami-intense vanilla ice-cream mixed with soy sauce so brace yourself for even more bizarre mash-ups. As we said at the start … 2025 will see a return to a sense of fun!

Try this at home - Tokyo Virgin Bloody Mary

Ingredients

2 limes
1.5 litres tomato juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp pickled ginger
Ice cubes, to serve
Celery stalks, to serve

Method

Juice 1 lime (you’ll need 2 tablespoons juice). Whisk lime juice, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and wasabi in a jug until combined. Cut remaining lime into 6 wedges. Thread 1 lime wedge and 1 piece pickled ginger onto each swizzle stick. Divide ice cubes and celery stalks among six 1½-cup-capacity glasses. Pour over tomato mixture. Top each glass with a swizzle stick. Serve.

Chef’s note: Add ½ cup vodka to the mix for something a little stronger