In the Spring 2020 issue of Halal Consumer Magazine, Chef Demetrios Haralambatos, Corporate Executive Chef for Kontos Foods, provides a “dictionary” of culinary treasures expected to become prominent over the next five years.
Chef Demetrios, who is a regular contributor to Halal Consumer, a publication from the Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), cites trending ethnic cuisines. For instance, Americans first embraced Italian and Chinese food and then Mexican and regional Southern and Tex Mex cuisines. More recently, he says, Greek, Indian, Jamaican, Japanese and Thai cuisines have gained popularity as well.
The next ethnic cuisines expected to hit the American culinary spotlight include: Egyptian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, Persian and Turkish cuisines. While these these cuisines are currently available in select demographic areas, more restaurants featuring them are opening, and it is anticipated that they will also become mainstream.
Specifically, Chef Demetrios explains how foods such as hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, gyros, lebneh (pressed or strained yogurt), shawarma, and shish taouk, became readily available in many restaurants, supermarkets and street vendors. Next expect to see a host of herbs, spices, and spice mixtures that, up to now, have only been available through mail order and a few ethnic markets. Duqqa, pomegranate molasses, and za’atar are found today, in select supermarkets, like Trader Joes and Whole Foods.