A look at Food Trends in the Year of the Rat

2020 is the Year of the Metal Rat according to the Chinese Zodiac. Chinese Folklore has it that the rat piggy backed the Ox in a race, and as soon as they crossed the river, it jumped off and dashed to the finish line. Could the tale of the rat spark some ingenuity for foodies and foodprenuers this year? How do you get in on some of the biggest and hottest trends in the food industry this Rat year? At-Sunrice bring you 4 of the hottest trends we think are here to stay!

1. Private Dining

With the rise of disruptive technology and Apps for every want and need, consumers are finding new fixes for their food cravings. From home-styled cooking to butler service dining, you will be spoilt for choice this CNY. Here are two Apps for you to try. Esseplore is a digital concierge which has just launched a beta version of their app and for those looking to satisfy their craving for local comfort food, try the Dine Inn app. If you think you’re up for a challenge this year and want to set up your own private dining business this year, you can try our Private Chef programme offered here in the academy.

2. Reduced Sugar Pastries

As consumers become increasingly health conscious, the push for low or no sugar pastries has become increasingly popular. At-Sunrice’s alumni, Chef Wyatt Tan, has recreated sweet desserts into sugar-free treats with a special ingredient– monk fruit sweetener. Taking the leap to open up his own cafe, Duxton41, Chef Wyatt hopes to change peoples’ views of healthy desserts as being ‘boring’ and ‘dull’ and  offer them a treat that not only taste good, but looks fabulous too. If you want to learn how to be a foodeprenuer, we have just the right programme to get you started. In the meantime enjoy some eye candy from Duxton 41.

3. Plant-Based Diet

The popularity of plant-based burgers and meat is an unstoppable train. With stock prices of plant-based unicorn Beyond Meat surging more than five times its original price after it IPOéd on NASDAQ, the demand for plant-based couldn’t be stronger. While some critics say that it is near “impossible” to recreate the taste of meat in a lab, other advocates say that food safety concerns such as intestinal bugs, such as E. coli or Salmonella and other diseases commonly found in animal intestines and transmitted to humans, is a big boon for a plant-based diet. The heavy reliance on antibiotics in factory farming is yet another reason to go plant based. Enjoy this video by our local start-up Shiok Meats who are deep in R&D for their launch of their plant-based seafood varieties in 2021.

4. Sustainable Food

1.3 billion tons of global food production is wasted annually which adds up to 1/3 of global food production. Take the plunge and learn how to repurpose by- products of plants, fruits, leaves, roots and items normally thrown away to recreate edible works of art. At-Sunrice is the first culinary school in the world to champion a new wave of cooking which reduces time, cost and waste which is a key thrust of the “Sustainability with no Waste” ethos. To find out more about the Note-by-Note foundation program do check out this link. Dish featured above is a novel pineapple dessert using only pineapple compounds. Every part of the pineapple was used for the dish including the skin, eyes and crown to reduce food waste.

While you mull over the best food trends, all of us At-Sunrice would like to wish you a fabulous Chinese New Year filled with Health, Wealth and Happiness in the coming year of the Metal Rat!

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