TEXTURE CRAVINGS

Diners want food that crunches, shatters, stretches, crackles, drips, or contrasts soft and crisp elements. Social media has amplified the appeal of foods that create sensory moments, while operators are using texture to make even familiar dishes feel new.

CHEWY

Miso-Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
Blue-Cheese Stuffed Dates
Tteokbokki with Charred Green Onions

CREAMY

Whipped Feta with Roasted Strawberries
Ricotta Toasts
with Figs
Soft Serve Ice Cream with Raspberry Coulis

CRUNCHY

Banh Mi with Pickled Carrots & Jalapeños
Mexican Jicama Slaw
Nashville Hot Chicken with Shredded Cabbage

CRISPY

Brussels Sprouts & Kale Chips
Potato Pavé
Chili Crisp Fries

COMBOS

Crunchy + Creamy
Crackly + Velvety
Chewy + Juicy

FROZEN

Pear-Ginger Granita
Nitro-Frozen Grapes
Pomegranate Citrus Pearls on Oysters

TEXTURE = EXCITEMENT!

Diners are increasingly hyper-focused on high-protein and plant-based foods. Alongside all of the new-fangled, lab-based, cell-cultured options out there is the humble bean. A staple food for millenia, beans are being re-examined as a healthy, versatile ingredient worthy of menu inclusion.

Retro and heirloom recipes—like Southern succotash, French cassoulet, and Cajun red beans and rice—fit the bill for those in search of authenticity.
Most world cuisines incorporate some type of bean in their classic dishes. Think feijoada in Brazil, black beans and rice with plantains in Puerto Rico, and garbanzo beans in Israel. Modern interpretations of these recipes are packed with produce and herbs.
The creamy texture of mung beans is proving an ideal substitute for those that are eliminating soy from their diets.

TEXTURE CRAVINGS

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