The 11 biggest food trends for 2026

Global tastes are ever-shifting, with culinary trends influenced by everything from wellness to supply-chain challenges. Around the world, chefs are seeking out foods that promise both flavour and functional benefits, rediscovering traditional techniques and utilising ingredients that might otherwise be discarded. At the same time, shortages of familiar favourites are nudging drinkers, diners and home cooks towards alternative varieties, while social media propels lesser-known cuisines into the spotlight. Here’s a taster of what to expect in the coming year.

Garum

An ancient Roman condiment made of salted and fermented fish guts and trimmings, garum gives dishes a deeply savoury umami flavour. And, after centuries out of fashion, it’s seeing a revival.

At Saint Peter in Sydney, fin-to-gill chef Josh Niland and his team make a garum using mackerel trimmings, which then seasons anything in the restaurant that would usually contain soy, fish sauce or salt. State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, meanwhile, uses garum in dishes such as red trout with toasted hazelnut and mandarin-garum vinaigrette, and sells jars of ‘garum salt’.

Yet, the condiment needn’t be made with fish, as demonstrated by Noma Projects, which sells a bottled mushroom garum combining fermented mushrooms, rice koji and oat garum. And Silo — a zero-waste London restaurant that will close its doors on 20 December 2025 ahead of a world tour of chef collaborations in 2026 — uses cheese for its garum.

“We have a pizzeria downstairs; we take their parmesan rinds when they’re not looking and make cheesy garum from that,” said Ryan Walker, Silo’s director of innovation and technical, at the recent launch of culinary innovation centre GOe in San Sebastián.

Meanwhile, insect garum is becoming popular with sustainably minded restaurants such as Fura, in Singapore, which uses cricket garum to add a protein punch to its muhammara, a middle Eastern roasted pepper walnut paste.

Tallow

Rendered from slow-cooked beef fat (lamb, goat, bison or venison can also be used), tallow is a cooking fat that solidifies at room temperature and has a high smoke point. Long valued for its rich, savoury depth, it’s becoming a staple once again in professional kitchens.

At Michelin-starred Source, in the Lake District, executive chef Ollie Bridgwater says “fat equals flavour”. His team renders aged fat from rib cuts (“where the flavour is deepest”) and uses this to finish leaner fillets. “It delivers all the complexity of the flavour of aged beef without any waste,” he adds. At south London fine-dining restaurant Smoke & Salt, chef Remi Williams uses tallow in dishes such as whipped butter with pretzel-style bread.

It’s also popular in US chains, with Steak ’N Shake, Outback Steakhouse and select Popeyes’ locations eschewing seed oils in favour of tallow.

Rotisserie chicken

Said to have originated in Peru in the 1950s, rotisserie chicken was originally favoured by the upper classes before being relegated to the ‘hot food’ section of supermarkets (despite remaining popular in France). However, it’s ongoing renaissance has gathered fresh momentum, with the dish popping up at London restaurants including Story Cellar, a Parisian-inspired venue where ‘rotisserie chicken takes centre stage’ and Toum, a ‘rotisserie Libanaise’, where it’s served with a choice of sauces.

In New York, Poulet Sans Tête has proved so popular as a takeaway it’s opened a dine-in branch on the Upper West Side. And this summer, Williamsburg saw the opening of Johnny’s, a chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) restaurant specialising in pollo a la brasa (Peruvian rotisserie chicken) with aji verde — a spicy green chilli and coriander sauce.

Hojicha tea

With the matcha boom causing a global shortage of the green beverage, its smokier, nuttier cousin is stepping into the limelight. Hojicha, another Japanese green tea, is roasted at a higher temperature, which gives it a reddish-brown colour, kills off tangy tannins and lowers the caffeine content.

Wako English, retail services manager at Japan House London, says she’s seen a growing interest in the tea. “Due to the current global shortage of matcha, we’ve not always been able to offer matcha lattes,” she explains. “In response, our staff have encouraged visitors to try a hojicha latte.” Other cafes are also adding hojicha to their menus, including Jenki and JujuHome, both in London, and Tsujiri, a chain with several branches across England. In the US you can find the tea in most major cities, including New York, at Sorate, and Los Angeles, at Damo.

Haitian cuisine

Although it’s strongly advised not to visit Haiti right now, the Caribbean nation’s food culture is on the up. A number of TikTokers have filmed themselves tasting Haitian dishes for the first time, while the Datassential’s 2025 Food, Flavor & Beverage Trends report highlighted pikliz — Haiti's beloved spicy pickled vegetable condiment — as a trend for 2026.

The UK currently has only one Haitian restaurant, Tiki Bar in Acton in west London (which featured in an Ed Sheeran video in 2021), but the story is different in the US. Miami is the country’s Haitian heartland, while 2025 openings including Gourmet Kreyol in Boston and Griot Gardens in Houston are helping to popularise dishes such as diri djon djon (‘black rice’ made with dried black mushrooms) and griot — marinated fried pork. Meanwhile, in early 2025, New Orleans launched its inaugural Haitian Food Crawl, a four-day celebration of the country’s influence on food, drinks and culture in the city.

Fibre-rich foods

Anyone who follows food accounts on social media will have noticed a subtle shift towards fibre-rich foods, which aid digestion, control blood sugar, help support the gut microbiome and lower the risk of certain diseases.

Sophie Waplington (@sophsplantkitchen) and Carleigh Bodrug (@plantyou) are among the influencers sharing high-fibre recipes using legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are also on the case, fronting a campaign to ‘bang in some beans’, with Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new book, High Fibre Heroes, due out in May 2026 (£26, Bloomsbury).

According to Whole Foods Market, brands are increasingly adding fibre to products like pastas, breads, bars and crackers. It also flags konjac — a high-fibre Asian tuber — as a growing favourite in plant-based ready-meals.

Sweet and spicy

Sweet and spicy — or ‘swicy’, as it’s known on social media — has become one of the most ubiquitous flavour trends of recent years.

From hot honey to chipotle-and-maple flavourings, the combination is not just popular online, but in shops and restaurants too. According to flavouring manufacturer Synergy’s latest trend report, there’s been a 49% global rise in sweet-and-spicy launches this year. Snack brands are leading the charge, with options ranging from Olives Et Al’s hot honey mixed nuts to Manomasa’s pineapple-habanero tortilla chips and Wotsits’ Sweet & Spicy flavour. It’s also making its way onto the breakfast table: Kellogg’s will release limited-edition Crunchy Nut Hot Honey Crunchies in January 2026.

In restaurants, swicy flavours are particularly popular on pizza, from Pizza Pilgrims’ double pepperoni with hot honey to Purezza’s plant-based version featuring hot agave.

Nostalgic dishes

Traditional and nostalgic meals are making a comeback, particularly in the UK, with diners craving the likes of prawn cocktail, beef and ale stew and shepherd’s pie, according to a survey by restaurant booking platform OpenTable.

Bob Bob Ricard’s three London restaurants specialise in high-end versions of retro dishes, with prawn cocktail and chicken Kyiv both menu stalwarts. At The Dover, a New York Italian-style fine-dining spot also in London, the prawn cocktail comes spiked with horseradish. As for pies, the best are often to be found in gastropubs, with Edinburgh’s Scran and Scallie and Mayfair’s The Windmill both known for their steak offerings.

Retro dishes are seeing a return at home too, with Synergy observing that traditional foods are popular as ready meals and that “nostalgic, comforting dishes, like mac and cheese have surged in popularity”.

Pickle flavour

It’s boom time for pickled cucumbers, thanks to their low-calorie count, gut-friendly reputation and punchy flavour. And it’s not just the whole pickles — the flavour is popping up in everything from cocktails to ice cream.

The pickleback (a shot of whisky followed by a shot of pickle brine) may have had its heyday in the 2000s, but pickle-forward drinks are seeing a revival. In New York, Maison Pickle incorporates the ingredient into a martini, while UK brand The Pickle House sells six-month infused pickle juice designed for cocktails and smoothies.

Dill pickle-flavoured snacks are also on the rise. Long popular in the US thanks to brands like Lay’s and Pringles, they’re now increasingly available in Europe, too; for example, sophisticated Spanish crisp-maker Torres has added pickle to a line that includes black truffle and fried egg. Meanwhile, in Germany, the flavour appears in sweets including Katja Sour Strips.

Fast-food chains are joining in, with McDonald’s serving festive gherkin-seasoned Grinched McShaker Fries and US brand Sonic offering a limited-edition Picklerita Slush drink.

Tteokbokki

From kimchi to K-pop Demon Hunters, Korean exports have never been more popular. Food-wise, the latest dish to break out internationally is tteokbokki. These dense, chewy rice cakes — a classic of Korean street stalls — have surged on social media, helped along by BTS singer Jimin, who posted about his love of them.

Amid the huge volume of tteokbokki content you’ll find recipes by the likes of chef Judy Joo and Korean supermarket chain Oseyo, which opened several new UK stores this year.

Tteokbokki is also increasingly cropping up in cookbooks, with Su Scott offering two types in her book Pocha, including a sweet-spicy version with a sticky chilli-honey glaze.

Flavoured cream cheese

A staple of New York bagel shops, flavoured cream cheese is poised for a boom in the UK too, according to Egg Soldiers’ Breakfast Trends 2026 report.

The three-strong London chain It’s Bagels — run by New Yorkers — has several options including spring onion, dill and japapeño, plus limited-edition special flavours. Meanwhile, Kuro Bagels, also in the capital, offers chive, roasted garlic and wasabi varieties of schmear, as well as a sweet version with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Flavoured cream cheeses, which are increasingly referred to using the broader Yiddish term 'schmear', have long been favourites in countries like Poland, where flavours like horseradish are common, or in Sweden, where Crème Bonjour makes a chanterelle edition (available in the UK from ScandiKitchen).