Decade Ender Special: Top 20 Indian food trends we witnessed in the 2010s

There are no doubts that we have witnessed several unique, weird and super impressive and of course, lip-smacking food trends in India over the decade and some are now even part of several restaurant menus, food pop-ups, and seminars. Right from online grocery shopping to food getting delivered to rise in demand for healthy food items, there have been umpteen number of changes, addition and improvements in the existing food and hospitality industry.

And chef Ishijyot Surri, Executive Chef of MULK also believes the same and said how with the year and decade coming to an end; the food industry, just like any other industry, has gone through a plethora of changes.

He said, "The consumption of detox foods and drinks is one such change that has made its presence essential in everyone’s life with the fast-paced change in lifestyle. With detox being the buzz, green tea has also made its way to our lifestyle. Green tea is now being consumed more for its health benefits such as boosting metabolism, reducing inflammation, etc. It has also got chefs to work on products like the green tea latte or the green tea cakes which are healthy. With health foods being the most popular trend for the decade, we have also witnessed a revival in whole foods."

The rising demand for whole foods like whole wheat and brown rice has inspired chefs and food technologists to come up with whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pizzas, brown rice pulao’s, etc. Along with whole foods, another paradoxical trend that has come up is the fat-free and keto-friendly food. This trend has persuaded chefs to work on dishes that are both - very low on fats and high on carbs or very low on carbs and high on fats."

"Other things that have made the chefs' workaround and experiment is the increasing popularity of the choux pastry. This has led to the introduction of Churros and éclairs into the patisserie cafes & pastry shops. The invention of ruby chocolates has also given a new direction to the chefs to experiment with desserts and make desserts that do not contain cocoa. Thus, the introduction of new products, the revival of certain food ingredients and consumer preference towards healthy foods have led chefs to work on a different horizon altogether."

Megha Iyer, who is the co-founder & head of marketing at Beeji Ki Rasoi also shared her insight over the Indian food trends that we saw in the decade's time. She said,"Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a drastic change in customers eating habits as well as their approach towards food. The choices are shaped by awareness as people have been asking the right questions. We’ve seen the rise of concepts like farm to table, organically sourced and locally produced food. We’ve seen the rise of diets like keto, paleo, gluten-free; vegan. Smoothies, popsicles, and shakes are the new desserts. We’ve seen the rise of Japanese restaurants taking over and much loved by the audience."

She also added how there is a spurt of homegrown artisan brands in different categories such as coffee, tea, and chocolates. She also talked about the rise of online ordering of groceries and knick-knacks to be a preferred option over going out and shopping. 

She shared, "We are also witnessing an upturn in the delivery kitchen concept across the country due to the advent of online delivery partners which allows you to enjoy varied cuisines in the comforts of your surroundings. It has changed the game in the food and hospitality industry and is just going to get bigger and better in the coming years."

Read on to know the 20 biggest Indian trends that we all witnessed.

1. Gluten-free, quinoa, brown rice and all other healthy food items

We have to say that the most significant trend of the decade is healthy and detox foodstuff such as quinoa, oats, almond flour and brown rice ruling the roost. We all have noticed the growth of farm-to-table meals, garden herbs, organic food items, new millets and consciously avoiding junk as trends.

2. Home chefs, online table booking, delivery service, and delivery kitchens

With the advent of smart tech and healthy food items, the rise of home chefs, delivery kitchens and delivery partners have also risen. Kitchens providing the mix of experimentation and quality control is getting thumps up by many. How can we ignore the rise of food delivery providers? Now, many of us just order food via apps and bingo! Several offers and discounts have made this option more viable. Online booking is also quite feasible.

3. Rise and rise of  themed restaurants and globally feted restaurants

Restaurants are nowadays are focusing more on experience than food alone. Earlier there was a handful of them, now every cafe which is popping up has its own theme, USP and unique menu among others. We have animal-based cafes, Stock Market themed bar to revolving resto and what not. This is not all, there has been the growth of globally feted restaurants in India as well. Many international gastronomic gurus are now in India.  Also, we have noticed more and more gourmet stores such as Nature’s Basket, Le Marche, Food Hall and Spencer’s opening up.

4. Go big or go home

This is a new trend that we saw, Bahubali thali, to Dara Singh Thali to humongous pizza, dosa and sandwiches are being offered by many stores and restaurants. 

5. Pop-ups

Thanks to several startups and malls, there are have many food exhibitions or what we can say pop up parties and festivals of late. Smalls stalls offering unique and lip-smacking food are getting rave reviews and demands.

6. Activated charcoal-based food items

The trend of activated charcoal being added to foodstuff started a few years and the trend is still on and refusing to die down. It was popularised by an Italian chef who made a black pizza base using activated charcoal in the year 2014. And now, it has been being used in ice cream, burger, and latte among others.

7. Frozen yogurt and cold-pressed juices

Frozen yogurt parlors have been popped up everywhere thanks to the demand. Also, juice cleanse is a megatrend now and that's why we have been noticing companies providing cold-pressed, organic and brightly colored juices.

8. Momos and types of momos

Momos and unique spin to them by including chocolate among others have been a trend and several joints have been dishing out not just momos but also dumplings and dim sum among others.

9. Shawarma

This Lebanese dish is very popular in India and has been an absolute favorite since past few years.

10. Green tea, Match tea and other types of tea

Green, matcha, chamomile, jasmine and many other types of tea have been in the trend as they have several health benefits including weight loss and that's why they have been popular among health junkies.

11. Keto, Vegan, Paleo based menus being added

Health has been a great hit among all for the past few years and with the same, we saw rise and rise of diet charts such as Keto, Pegan, Paleo among others and now, they are being incorporated in several restaurants as well.

12. Deconstructed food

Deconstructed Vadapav, desserts, burgers and whatnot have been popular in this decade.

13. Molecular Gastronomy

Molecular Gastronomy has been experimented with by Indian chefs as well. For the unversed, the same is an advanced culinary science that uses certain gas in cooking and preparing food. 

14. Freak shakes and other OTT desserts

Freakishly large milkshakes topped with cereal, cookies, frosting, cakes and whipped cream are a big hit and have taken social media by storm. 

15.Naked cakes, Patisseries and light bites

Pastry chefs have been in demand for light bites such as cupcakes, macaroons, beignets and profiterole among others as they are being preferred over bulky pastries. The rise of Patisseries is also what we have noticed. Naked cake is the new a new big thing in cakes.

16. Fusion sweets

Innovation and experimentation happened in the sweet department as well and the results are baked rasgullas, hazelnut Laddoos, jar cakes among others.

17. Craft brewery 

Craft breweries are the latest trend in India and they will see huge substantial growth as the demand is more.

18. Alternatives

Alternatives of meat, milk, sugar, cooking oil are quite in demand. Normal milk is being replaced by cashew milk, coconut milk, oat milk, almond milk among others. More and more people are using coconut and olive oil for cooking.

19. Asian ingredients and restaurants

Ingredients such as Thai spices, yuzu and Korean dishes such as bulgogi and bibimbap now most sought after with more and more people consuming Asian dishes.

20. Rolled ice cream 

The most Instagrammable ice cream of this decade which many Indians have been eating is the rolled ice cream. The dessert is made by pouring cream on an extremely cold metal surface and later it is scraped up to form rolls. Many ice cream parlors have been using liquid nitrogen as well.