TREND BITES:

Mushroom

March 8, 2024

Mushrooms are one of the most talked-about food trends of this decade. The 2020s created a perfect storm for mushroom-forward meals. First, our “revenge travel” mindset has us seeking new flavors and experiences to make up for the lost time between 2020 and 2022. Mushrooms are a great way to cure consumers’ culinary wanderlust because they're used in cuisines all over the world. Second, the distinctive texture and taste of mushrooms can be used to enhance dishes with a boost of umami flavor for more excitement. Finally, it’s trendy to be healthy, earthy, and natural, and mushrooms fit that vibe to a tee!

New Flavor Experiences

Mushrooms' popularity starts with their versatility. Of course, an ingredient used in such a wide variety of applications is going to be popular. Mushrooms are in classic favorites like burgers, pizza, and pasta, and they're also staples in go-to cuisines like Asian, Italian, and Latin American. They add richness and satisfying texture to every dish they're used in, without overpowering other ingredients. By featuring different types of mushrooms on your menu, you can elevate the experiences of your dishes and even add some global flair to entice adventurous customers, like we did with shiitake mushrooms in this Chicken Katsu Ramen recipe.

Health Benefits

Mushrooms are valued for their health benefits, but it's more about what they don't have than what they do that makes them a healthy option. Mushrooms are extremely low in sodium, fat, calories, and cholesterol, which makes them a great substitute or supplement to red meat. They supply the desired depth of flavor without the guilt. Plus, they pair well with chicken for tasty, protein-packed meals!

When Specialty Food Association named mushrooms as a Top 2024 Food and Beverage Trend, they pointed out that some of mushrooms' health appeal is their ability to boost "relaxation, mood, and brain health," which consumers are very interested in.

Try these mushroom applications!

Mushroom Swiss Chicken Sandwich

Pacific Northwest Umami Burger

Chicken and Parmesan Farrotto

The Mushroom Aesthetic

While mushrooms' versatility explains their growing demand in foodservice, there's something else going on to make them so noteworthy. As The New York Times explains, "Food, drink, fashion, medicine and interior design have all welcomed mushrooms lately—a trend which experts attribute to increased collective knowledge about mushrooms." The beloved fungi have become somewhat of a mascot for this era of cottage core interior design, cozy hobbies, and positivity towards relaxation and unplugging from stress.

The good news for foodservice is that today's consumers are more familiar with mushrooms and pleased to see them on menus. You just have to choose which route to take with your mushroom dishes. Do you want to embrace the energetic desire for travel, new cuisines and seeking new experiences like we did with this Italian-inspired Chicken and Parmesan Farrotto, or do you want to appeal to simplicity lovers with a cozy, serene dish like this Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup)?

Choose Your 'Shroom

Some types of mushrooms are associated with specific foods, like button mushrooms on pizza and enoki mushrooms in soups, but that doesn't mean you can't mix things up! We used cremini mushrooms on this Pacific Northwest Umami Burger for their hearty flavor and thick texture, while button mushrooms were featured in our Tom Kha Gai recipe for their iconic mushroom shape. Farmer's Almanac highlighted ten favorite edible mushrooms, ranging from basic portobellos with their earthy flavor and tender yet firm texture to chanterelles, which taste fruity and herbaceous with a slight peppery bite. Try out a variety of mushrooms on your menu, while keeping in mind that mushroom lovers will enjoy encountering mushrooms they haven't tried yet!