In December 2022, we will try to look into the future and make a gastronomic forecast for the upcoming 2023 – we hope that it will be joyful and successful.
The first point is the spices.
Any constraint and difficulty in one area compels us to exalt in another. Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in interest in spicy, spicy but not so exotic food all over the world. The inability to plan a vacation, the inability to go anywhere, the general uncertainty in general encourages people to look for an outlet in food. Here you should not look for real ethnography and some gastronomic discoveries – people do not remember their long journeys, they dream about them. Therefore, there will still be bright, spicy, spicy but understandable cuisines on the rise. So Thai soups, Vietnamese noodles, Japanese kebabs, Mexican pitas and of course Middle Eastern dishes that peaked about a year ago but didn’t even think about finishing it won’t go anywhere. We look forward to the continuation of the trend set by Adam Trendy Lebanese, Folk, updated T1 and other restaurants with a Levantine spirit.
Second point – martinis.
What to drink all these foods? The best bartenders around the world wear tuxedos and bow ties: despite the indefinitely frozen James Bond franchise, the main cocktail for the coming months promises to be a martini. There are many reasons for this. First, the same quest for vivid sensations. The martini is a strong, potent, full-bodied, vibrant drink and one with a rich history (Bond mentioned above alone is worth it). Secondly, what is also important in these difficult times is that the drink is cheap: gin and/or vodka, olives, ice, a drop of vermouth or any other aromatic beverage, that’s it. Third, this is a drink that requires the bartender above all to have the skill to return him to the origins of the profession. You cannot prepare a martini in advance, mix it in the machine: the simplicity and availability of ingredients is compensated by the most delicate work, with the temperature, texture, quantity and quality of the ice and ice water released from it. It’s definitely not a craft, it’s an art.
The third point – salt + pepper + sugar.
The further the taste is, the more they lose some ideological color. Let’s say salty – only for the first and second, sweet – for sweet, etc. It’s increasingly common to put fruit on salads (wait for summer and try tomatoes with onions and peaches) and salt and paprika (sea salt and pepper chocolate is best to try right now, when it’s cold and snowing) in desserts. .
The fourth point is education.
This is one of the main theses of the Gastromasa culinary forum, one of the most important in the world, which took place in Istanbul in December. A chef’s job has become too complex and extensive to master, like waiting in the kitchen for wings. Now a truly serious chef, a biologist and botanist, an ethnographer and a historian, a sommelier, a chemist, a physicist, a psychologist, an ecologist, a manager, a leader, a blogger, and oddly enough, a still standing is a craftsman. Standing 18 hours a day in heat and smoke with a knife in hand.
Continuous comprehensive education is indispensable here – even experienced chefs are forced to continue learning, adapting to the rapidly changing world, and at the same time they are obliged to teach others in order to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. Thus, the number and most importantly the quality of cooking schools and courses will increase.
The fifth point is locality-seasonality-environmental friendliness.
Another thesis from Gastromasa. With local produce, grown in the here and now, organically, minimizing waste is no longer some kind of fashion trend, the temptation of expensive restaurant owners to sneak into lists and ratings. Now this is the norm for any decent institution in general. Such an approach to products is the same sign of good taste as being healthy without competing with other restaurants, without polite communication with colleagues and behind-the-scenes intrigues. Acting differently would simply be ugly.
Sixth point – new cultural ties.
Without going into an assessment of what’s going on, I’m just stating a fact: The gastronomic sphere of our lives (like any other) has re-orientated from Europe and North America to Asia and South America. Our restaurateurs, chefs and bartenders are already actively exploring Dubai, Turkey, Kazakhstan and the Caucasus and will no doubt bring some flavors, ideas and concepts from there. Also, other destinations – Latin America, India, China, the Middle East – could enrich the Russian restaurant world. For example, reduced or interrupted supplies of major European and American whiskey, brandy and wine producers will force us to look for new beverages. Get ready to try cocktails at Colombian aguardenta, Mexican sotol, Indian feni and Lebanese arak bars.
Seventh point – multifunctional places.
A poet, as you know, is more than a poet. What’s worse than a restaurant? First, additional features attract new people to the institution. Second, they allow you to earn more (and we understand that a restaurant is a business first and foremost). Expect more restaurants with their own toppings, cheeses, cakes, and breads, museum interiors, and these indoor tours (or perhaps the chance to buy a wall painting or a plate off the table). Expect bars with movie theaters and conference rooms, and vice versa – cinemas and museums that do not settle for the so-called buffet with chocolate, cognac in plastic containers and sandwiches wrapped in plastic film.
Finally, I want to say that I really hope that all these changes, innovations, and sometimes inventions will only lead to the better. We all deserve such changes. We are waiting for the new year!
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.