2017 has been a unique year for “Gastro” universe, in which we have enjoyed culinary surprises and we believe that the time has come to say welcome to new gastronomic trends to enjoy in wedding feast in 2018. The conclusion is that we will eat much better now. New year, new menu.
At the Cigarral de las Mercedes we believe in change and future, in society, health and wellness, this is why we are offering different menus and possibilities, such as the ones below. And now, getting married abroad with this new possibilities in your wedding feast will make your wedding in Toledo unforgettable.
Green is the king
According to the world trend, statistics show that, veggies will represent a greater part of the food supply, even meat will be made with vegetable proteins.
This year will also prevail an habit that, until now, was exclusive to few people, the \’trashcooking\’, which will lead many people not to waste even the skin of fruits and vegetables, and to tun them into consumtion food due to its great nutritional value. So do not be surprised if you see some marinated watermelon rinds on the menu of an exclusive restaurant.
Fruit and veggies shakes will remain in force, and will be incorporated into soups, nutritious or protein snacks and baked food, new magic powders or spices that, in the opinion of nutritionists, will come to stay. This is the case of matcha, cocoa, ground turmeric, black sesame and amaranth.
And a new type of diner will arrive, the \’flexitarian\’, neither carnivorous nor vegan, who chooses a mostly vegetarian diet, but who doesn’t completely renounce the consumption of fish or danimal products.
One of the most successful cuisines, if not the most desired, will be the Middle East food.
Our next destination: North Africa and the Middle East
During the last years we have met and experimented with the Asian and Peruvian cuisines, but now we have to continue traveling across the globe through the palate, and our next destination will be North Africa and the Middle East. Beyond hummus or falafel, which we have already seen many times, we will investigate more in these gastronomic cultures that have a lot to offer. Take note of this: “shakshuka”, means \’all mixed\’ in Arabic and is a dish prepared with stewed tomatoes, spices and poached eggs.
Know what you are eating
Transparency in labeling, being able to know exactly which are the components of the food we buy, or from which region it comes, it isn’t something new, but now the consumer also wants to know in detail how food is produced. 29% of the new introductions of agri-food products already use the origin as a hook to show prestige in their product. The fresh local product is popular now but it must have added values such as sustainability or ethical production.
Trashcooking: Up to the sheath
Do not be scared by the name of this trend, we still have not gone so crazy as to start eating rubbish. We already predicted this trend last year, and It will continue rising, at the same time of ecological awareness. The trashcooking is to take advantage of everything in the kitchen. The idea is to reduce waste and contribute to the health of the planet. Nothing is thrown away. Everything is eatable, you just have to know how to cook it. The skin of fruits or vegetables that is mostly discarded and that is now consumed, this is because it seeks to reduce the waste of food and and take benefits of the vitamins it contains.
The peel has the nutrients, and people already know this, to the point that in the supermarkets of some countries are already selling pickled watermelon rinds. The beneficial and economic aspect of this practice is that it can also be adopted in our own homes. Keep in mind that you should wash fruits very well if you consume them with skin.
And this year your should be ready to eat flowers, because in every kind of dishes, from “lattes”, to granolas, or even marshmallows, your could find lavender, rose petals, hibiscus or elderflower.
Magical and nutritious powders
2018 came with new purposes, one of these is to have a healthier diet, to the point that even species have become \’super powders’. These spices and nutritious powders have slowly been installed in our kitchens linked to food cooking. Maybe the names that sound the most are matcha, ginger or turmeric, although we can find and endless list.
But this year we will see new trends such as black sesame, without forgetting maca and amaranth that will remain present.
Fourth Meal
Incorporating a healthy snack to daily meals, just before or after exercise or mid-morning, will be an habit more and more frequent this year.
We will talk more about the fourth meal, referring to that overriding food for those who do not have time to sit down to have breakfast or a leisurely lunch. We can already find many offers in the snack industry that have the characteristic of healthy, even in foods previously considered as “Capital sin”, such as popcorns or gourmet chips.
Plant-based products
Thanks to technology, there are more and more exquisite products where the protagonists are ingredients of non-animal origin. And to achieve a healthy and environmentally friendly diet, there are foods such as meat made from vegetable proteins: sausages, hamburgers and steaks. We can even get cheeses, yoghurts and milk made with seeds, fruits or roots of plants; vegan tuna prepared with veggies and even dairy-free sweets such as vegan frosting, brownies, ice cream, brioche and crème brûlée.
Feel free to organize a plant based barbecue like this one that we organized last year in a wedding just before the open bar!!
Cricket crackers
For the more daring, insects will be on your radar, especially as a source of complete and ecofriendly proteins. Crickets, beetles or any invertebrate arthropod, will be part of the diet of the most visionary. In the long term, eating insects will be a global reality, because they are safe and sustainable due to their rapid reproduction and low cost, and they can offer between 15 and 70 or more grams of protein per 100 grams of animal. In some cultures bugs are essential in traditional dishes. Even for some people, a cricket cookie is a delicacy.
Supercoffee
We are not only experiencing a boom of the coffee industrie with the opening of stores specializing in this art, but we are going to merge this trend with the superfoods. The latest in the coffee universe is to add superfoods to get more nutritious, energetic and beneficial health coffees. Try turmeric, spirulina, chia seeds …
Give a twist to the dessert
And we finish with the desserts. Following this healthymania the sweets will live a very significant evolution. We will say goodbye to the refined sugar and the additives in the desserts. First, betting on dishes made with fruits. But also to satisfy the sweet tooth, transforming lifelong dessert recipes replacing refined sugars, butter or dairy animals in the case of vegans spirits.