Ever wonder what the most popular foods are on the internet? How about the least? Well, now we know, thanks to the Google Food Trends Report, which takes a closer look at how people are searching for what they want to eat next.
The report looked at the monthly searches from January 2014 to February 2016 to see which foods were trending. The hope was that this information would be helpful to restaurants and foodies all across the United States who could plan their menus based on what people want (and don't want) to eat.
What foods were people consistently searching over the past two years? Ramen was considered to be a "sustained riser," which means there was steady growth in searches, making it a "safe bet" to remain a trending food.
Other foods that fell into this category included rigatoni, linguine, empanada, uncured bacon, bundt cakes, and bibimbap, a Korean dish that means "mixed rice."
When it came to seasonal risers — foods that saw an uptick in searches depending on the season — pho, cheese curds, pork shoulders, bitter melon, and gender reveal cakes all made the list. This also means that you'll probably be hearing more about each of these, so keep your ears open and palates ready.
Also, be on the lookout for the bite-sized snack trend, which seems to be on a steady rise with cheese curds, buffalo cauliflowers bites, french toast sticks, and mug cakes seeing an increase in search.
Mug cakes, in particular, saw a steady rise with chocolate, vanilla, pumpkin, and banana being the top-searched flavors. Customization was key, according to Google, with people searching for vegan, protein, gluten-free, or paleo mug cakes.
As for the foods that fall into the category of "rising stars," which may or may not catch on in the upcoming year, Google lists turmeric, jackfruit, cauliflower rice, sourdough bread, funfetti, and vegan donuts.
Many of these rising stars, like turmeric and jackfruit, also fall into a category called "food with a function," which means people are searching for foods that will keep them healthy. Other foods that are being searched for this very reason include kefir, bone broth, avocado oil, and coconut milk.
When it comes to the food trends that are starting to fade out, Google says searches for gluten-free cupcakes, evaporated cane juice, and wheat-free bread are on the decline.
Despite everyone's increased interest in uncured bacon, the craze over the cured kind seems to be consistently dropping off Google's radar, with bacon cupcakes and bacon cinnamon rolls landing on the "sustained decliners" list.
But for all those pork lovers out there, don't worry. The new trend seems to be experimenting with the other white meat. Searches for pork shoulder, bacon jam, and smoked sausage are on the rise.
Some may be surprised to know also that despite pork shoulder being something that many eat at summer barbecues, searches for the dish actually peak in December, with more people searching on the weekend. Searches for pork shoulder mainly trend in Eastern and mid-Western regions of the U.S. with the top cities being Boston, Denver, and Chicago.
Other surprising decliners include quinoa, kale chips, red velvet cake, agave nectar, and wedding cakes.
Those who haven't gotten their rainbow bagel yet may also want to get on that ASAP, since the trend is in the "falling stars" category of the report. Oh, rainbow bagel, we hardly knew ye.
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