Trends & Insights

As the great and good of the fashion world descend on the bright lights of New York, London, Paris and Milan for the launch of the Spring/Summer 2017 collections, the great and good of the food world are busy creating their Spring/Summer 2017 menus. Both will dictate what we wear, and what we eat, in 2017. But how blurred is the line between food and fashion?

What’s with the surge in popularity for food? It’s fair to say that food has gone stratospheric. You can’t get away from it. The craze for pop up concepts shows no sign of abating, celebrity chefs are increasingly seen as the new rock stars and recipe books regularly top best seller lists. With this, a whole new generation are getting in on the act. In fact, in recent years The New York Times coined the phrase ‘gastronomic youth quake’ to describe how more and more young people are shunning festivals and gigs for meals out.

There’s something luring and comforting about a hearty bowl of pasta tossed in a vibrant red tomato sauce and sprinkled with just the right amount of Parmesan—and you don’t necessarily need to be European to enjoy it.

The flavour of tomatoes has become widely popular all over the world, especially in Asian countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and even Singapore, because of umami. Umami is the Japanese word for “savoury” or “deliciousness”; the fifth and most elusive of tastes¹ that is achieved by combining sweet, salty, tangy, and a touch of bitter flavours to add depth to a certain dish.