Five Unexpected Food Trends This Summer

Food fashions can often be unpredictable, but several trends are gaining in popularity as we move towards summer in 2021.

2020 was a topsy-turvy year for foodies. With lockdowns and social restrictions, many people moved from gathering in nearby restaurants to take-outs and home-based dining. During a year of social and emotional turmoil and isolation, food became a primary source of wellbeing, health, and comfort.

Even as restrictions ease and people go back to meeting at restaurants and bars, COVID-19 promises to leave a lasting impact on our food culture.

Read on to learn about five food trends that may surprise you this summer.

As more and more people hop on the low-carb and keto bandwagon, the food and restaurant industries are responding with a wide array of alternative carb products, like cauliflower pizza crust, courgette and carrot noodles, and aubergine or kale crisps. The growing number of health-conscious visitors has naturally led many restaurants to include a more varied, appealing alternative carb mix on their menus.

Alternative carb choices offer more benefits than just weight loss. They help achieve a diet higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals while reducing the surge-and-fall blood sugar roller coaster that comes with consuming most starch-based carbs like white bread, potatoes, and pasta. Furthermore, alternative carbs contribute to a more diverse way of eating, packed with interesting flavors, colors, and textures.

At Eddie’s on Lake Norman , our gluten-free pasta is either made from cauliflower, chickpeas, or lentils, which are all USDA organic stamped. And we can prepare any of our tacos with a gluten free corn tortilla. Our tacos are made with fresh handmade pico de Gallo and a cilantro vinaigrette.

With eco-consciousness on the rise, global concerns are trickling down into individual consumer behavior. Nearly half of all material that ends up in American landfills each year comes from food waste and food packaging – an astonishing number that leads more and more people to think about what they eat.

In answer to the demand for eco-friendly food , industry giants, food chains, and restaurants offer their customers low- and zero-waste products and meals. The low-waste trend manifests in reduced, recycled, or biodegradable packaging, repurposing or composting scraps and leftovers, and an emphasis on ethical production.

Some restaurants take the eco-movement beyond food, with features such as seats of reclaimed wood, plates made of recycled plastic bags, and light fixtures designed from recycled crushed glass.

While fusion cuisine isn’t exactly a new trend, this cross-cultural food fashion promises to stick around in 2021 and beyond. Fusion foods offer unlimited innovation and creativity since the imaginative chef can combine elements of many traditional cuisines.

Using fusion, a chef can expand their repertoire and create a unique, distinct trademark dish. Fusion can also serve to make exotic food more accessible by including familiar elements. One example is when Asian takeaways offer customers French fries rather than the traditional rice.

Fusion may include not only the merger of ingredients but also techniques, such as the Chinese stir-frying method now used in some Italian restaurants.

Fusion cuisine is especially popular in countries with a high influence of immigrant culture, such as the United States, Australia, and some areas of the U.K.

Our lobster ravioli, a lunch and dinner special we run quite often, is a fan favorite. Made with fresh veggies, land meets sea in this entree in a dramatically different way than in the standard surf and turf…which, by the way, is on our regular menu. We think you’ll agree that it’s divine!

Plant-based meat alternatives aren’t just for vegans anymore. Even proclaimed meat lovers can vary their menu with plant-based ground beef, burgers, sausages, and deli slices.

Plant-based jerky is rapidly gaining some spotlight, too, as it offers the characteristic salty, umami taste to people who are going easy on meat. Foodies can find not only soy-based vegan jerky but also alternative varieties made with ingredients such as coconut, mushroom, and eggplant.

Another product enjoying a heightened interest in 2021 is the traditional Javanese tempeh, made from cooked, pressed, and fermented soya beans. Tempeh offers a firm texture, earthy flavor, and high protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral content. Tempeh has fantastic flavor-absorbing properties and lends itself well to barbecuing and grilling.

Given our merging concepts of seafood/ Italian meets American, we don’t have a selection in this ballpark, but our fantastic veggie burger is the frequent choice of our employees when eating at work. Like many others nowadays, some of them have adapted a cleaner eating lifestyle.

2020 left people yearning for decadent, comforting desserts with an interesting twist. The trend seems to be evolving in 2021 as people seek out high-quality ingredients, new treats to try, and attractive additions to old favorites.

Examples of desserts that are enjoying rising popularity include oat-based ice-creams , raw cacao chocolates , towering stacks of extra fluffy pancakes topped with cream and fruit, and indulgent sweet-and-salty recipes such as dessert pizza and chocolate- or caramel-covered potato snacks.

People looking for a lighter dessert will enjoy extra-whipped ice creams and mousses, along with whipped Dalgona coffee with interesting toppings.

At Eddie’s on Lake Norman, we don’t offer anything that we would define “luxurious.” We take more of a simplistic approach, so as not to rob the nature of our traditional dessert options. They aren’t “broke” so why “fix” them?

Visit Eddie’s on Lake Norman in Mooresville, NC, for a casual, relaxing lunch or dinner. Enjoy the mellow atmosphere with live music, and check out our menu, featuring a wide variety of fresh seafood dishes, entrees, salads and soups, sandwiches, Italian specialties, and mouth-watering desserts.

Going on a family outing? Your kids will love our options for children 12 and under.

Please keep in mind that at this time we cannot take reservations due to our COVID-19 safety protocols. For any questions, however, please call us at (704) 799-2090.

Thank you in advance for dining at Eddie’s!

Ann-Margaret Wagner brings her hospitality and restaurant expertise from New York to the shores of Lake Norman with Eddie’s On Lake Norman. Ann-Margaret is the former owner of a successful restaurant in Westchester County, New York, called The Muscoot Tavern, an iconic “Cheers-like” bar and grille. After visiting Lake Norman, she fell in love with the area, saw potential in the restaurant, and decided to make North Carolina her new home with her daughter Lacy.

After purchasing the business, which was previously Vinnie’s Sardine Grille and Raw Bar, she completely renovated the entire space, sold the other restaurant, and moved south. The kitchen is filled with all new appliances, while the bar, dining room, and back patio were all touched up to create a clean, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. Whether North Carolina, New York, or anywhere else, Ann-Margaret’s mission is always to provide the freshest seafood, prime meats, produce, pasta, and bread, every meal.

“I hope you enjoy eating our delicious cooking as much as we love making it for you!” Ann-Margaret

Copyright© 2021. Eddie’s on Lake Norman. All rights reserved.

Eddie’s on Lake Norman
643 Williamson Rd
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-799-2090
https://eddieslkn.com/