Food trends 2024: Multi-sensory diners to enhance TN street foods

CHENNAI: Food industry professionals have experienced a roller coaster ride in 2023. Among the trends we observed were the revival of traditional dishes, the introduction of international cuisines, and millets regaining their importance. In 2024, we will see many interesting and astounding trends and developments in the industry.

How trends are predicted in the ever-evolving food industry? Experts say that trends are foreseen after doing thorough research about eating patterns, surveying people’s likes and dislikes, comparing what is new in the world or national market and predicting the trends that will make its entry to the country or city.

According to Sheetharam Prasaad, corporate executive chef at GRT Hotels and Resorts, “Chennai’s food and beverages market is evolving and anything good will sell. There will be a huge demand for veg dishes. International cuisines will also be incorporated with local palettes.” Executive chef Kishore Kumar Neethinathan from Radisson Blu says that nowadays food is prepared using sustainable local products. “In 2024, the way a dish is presented in a contemporary style will be a trend,” he adds.

Kanishk Dhupad, executive chef and founder of Lazy Leopard, feels that Chennai has reached a certain level which currently is competing with New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai and many international brands are opening their outlet here. “The cafe culture that is prevailing in the city will change and people will start exploring more about the existing cuisines. In the upcoming year, authentic Korean restaurants and ramen places will increase in Chennai,” he says. He also believes that such developments do build pressure on a conservative city like Chennai. “Trends are set by the customers, to be precise, the cosmopolitan crowd. The more the crowd comes in, the more space for innovation,” Kanishk adds.

Digging deep into the trends, Sheetharam told DT Next, “Healthy food that are wholesome, organic and local will gain momentum. South Indian tiffin items will be popular in 2024 including non-veg dishes.” There will be a huge demand for veg dishes and veg starters will be the talk of the town. From the chef, we came to know that classic dishes that were on the must-try list of many 20 years ago will be celebrated, just like how bun-butter-jam was a big hit in 2023. “Small plates, where the quantity will be less but there will be numerous options to relish, will be in huge demand,” he emphasises.

On the other hand, Kanishk identifies that with the proliferation of cafes in Chennai, everything has become monotonous. “Every place is serving everything. There is pressure to cater to everything in one place, such as Indian, Chinese, and Continental under a single roof. The upcoming year will usher in more specialised cuisine diners. For example, a Mexican restaurant will exclusively serve Mexican food,” he predicts.

Combining food and technology, Kishore Kumar thinks that the multi-sensory food concept will be new and innovative in 2024. “Now, everything is about experience. Food should be a treat for all the five senses and not just taste. Chennaiites will be taken on a nostalgic trip using Virtual Reality gadgets. A good example is customers can get lost in their thoughts seeing the beach waves as well as relish the flavourful kinds of seafood in a restaurant. The dishes that have the higher chances of being served here are Usilampatti kari chukka, Burmese atho, murukku cheese sandwich and everything that is emotionally connected with Chennaiites,” he elucidates.

Now let’s think about our ever-loved rustic street foods. “Street foods will have a big impact with the dishes served more hygienically. High-end Burmese foods will be trending. The demand is going up for non-veg street foods like nalli kuruma, keema, kal dosa and many others,” Sheetharam shares. Kishore Kumar adds to this, “All the Tamil Nadu-based street foods will be in the spotlight. We go back to the streets of Madurai, Salem and Chennai, among others. People’s favourite set dosa and vadacurry, and paya continue to expand.” He also adds that South Indian food is going to get global recognition.

Turning our focus into international cuisines that are yet to be explored by Chennaiites, “This year people will immerse in the flavours of Sri Lanka,” believes chef Sheetharam. On the other hand, Kishore Kumar says that cuisines like Latin American and Caribbean have still not entered the city. “These are opposite to the taste buds of people here. Even with the Japanese food that we get in Chennai, it is not the authentic one but the Indianised version. In original Japanese sushi, the salmon will be raw. Whereas the ones we get here are customised with cooked chicken and prawns. Moreover, the problem is we have very less Latin American and Caribbean chefs in the market to bring in authentic flavours,” he explains.

Kanishk says that restaurants specialised in innovative vegetarian Indian and international dishes will be on the rise. “Though the city concentrates on cosmopolitan culture, there is also a focus towards the roots and traditions of Tamil Nadu. Regional dishes are served in a premium way as well as the humble Kongu and Ambur dishes are also available in Chennai,” shares the 28-year-old executive chef. However, he feels that as many outlets of different cuisines are coming up, discovery is the bigger challenge in the upcoming years. “We need an equal number of customers to balance the foodscape,” he adds.

As per the annual report issued by Swiggy and Zomato, biryani has topped the most-ordered dish in 2023. “It is because biryani is a comfort food for Chennaiites and its popularity cannot be shaken. From the streets to high-end restaurants, biryani can be relished everywhere. After the pandemic, we have early morning and midnight biryani spots making it a part of our life,” Kishore Kumar says.

Coming to the culinary techniques, experts foresee artisanal cooking to be practised more. “Demand for artisanal pasta and other dishes in Italian cuisine. People will shift to sourdough bread from normal bread. The upcoming year will be major for plant-based foods,” Kanishk projects. Sheetharam feels that modern culinary techniques might fade and traditional cooking methods will be recognised more.

2023 witnessed many weird food trends going viral on social media like Fanta Maggi, black forest noodles, tea rasagulla and many such. “It spoils the essence of a dish when fusion crosses its limits. It doesn’t make sense when someone combines biryani and pizza and names it as britzza. People who lack culinary knowledge and don’t respect the ingredients do such things,” says Kishore Kumar in dismay. As diners become more conscious of what they are eating, Sheetharam firmly believes that in 2024 junk foods will not play a major role and such weird trends will fade away.

Chennaiites had a chance to taste lip-smacking desserts in 2023 because many dessert cafes emerged. Janani Kannan, founder of Maison Indulgence, says that Chennai is an underdog and it is a blessing in disguise. “Mumbai and Delhi have a saturated market. It is a blessing that Chennai still maintains a conservative market. We still have space for innovation. With many international dessert chains, people will get to know what is better quality and real taste,” she concludes.