Protein and Center Plate: Culinary Trend Tracking Series

The rules about protein and the rules about center plate are being completely remade. Where once there were steaks and chops and chicken breasts, there are now novel nose-to-tail cuts such as culotte, short ribs, shoulder, neck and thighs—more value-conscious and comforting, but also more adaptable to cheffy culinary flourishes and global inspirations.

Burgers and meatballs keep gaining traction and consumer appeal, branching out beyond beef to introduce lamb, pork, duck and more. Sausage and charcuterie are flourishing, as chefs seek to burnish their culinary cred and use up every bit and scrap of the animal to an increasingly adventurous audience.  And everywhere there is spice and innovation and novelty, from chile-laced Korean fried chicken to foie gras to worldly dumplings offering such as dim sum.

Lesser-known sustainable seafood choices such as trout and octopus are taking over where salmon and swordfish became predictable or ecologically problematic. Seafood preps favor the healthy and transparently fresh, including (as with meat) raw and tartare.

Eggs have taken off on a trajectory of their own, in familiar or exotic standalone specialties such as Benedicts and okonomiyaki, or deviled on small plates that move this workhorse protein miles beyond breakfast.  Over easy or sunny side eggs are almost topping everything, including donuts, sandwiches, and vegetarian bowls.

Neither protein nor center of the plate will ever be the same.

Scope of Report

In Protein and Center Plate: Culinary Trend Tracking Series (CuTTS),Packaged Facts focuses on meat, poultry, seafood. Our analysis provides:

· Quick,menu data-supported introduction to proteins and dishes trending on restaurant and foodservice menus

· Generous listing of current menu items and images featuring these proteins

· Detailed,on-target trend translation tips for menus and retail foods

· Fresh,relevant insights for tying substantive innovation to culinary and consumer market trends