Top-Trend Superfood
By: Pam Smith, RDN
Versatile mushrooms are not brand new to superfood or top-trend lists, and there is no sign of stopping. For the fourth consecutive year, mushrooms have been named a top trend by food industry trend spotters. Capping the 2022 trend forecast season, The New York Times recently named mushrooms the "Ingredient of the Year” and an essential food for the plant-based movement. For similar reasons, MSNBC declared mushrooms a 2022 “Healthy Food Trend,” while Delish named them to their “Top 12 Trends to Look Out for in 2022,” suggesting they will continue to be featured in more recipes this year. Mashed celebrated mushrooms by noting “This Surprising Ingredient will be Everywhere in 2022.” Specialty Food Magazine put the delicious fungi on its “10 Food and Drink Trends Set to Soar in 2022."
So yes, mushrooms are having more than a moment – in fact, mushroom movement may be more reflective of their stardom -- but in my world, I’m calling it a Mushroom March – a march toward all that is amazing about mushrooms at this perfect time of year. Their celebrity status is not just for one attribute -- a convergence of factors is pushing them into sharp focus: Mushrooms’ essential place in plant-forward innovation, their nutritional profile and role in feeding the immune system, and their incredible sustainability story. From being the center, meaty ingredient to blending with meat or plant proteins.
The umami of mushrooms blend with other ingredients to make menu items more flavorful, juicier, and “meatier” – one of the planet’s best flavor lifters! They are simply delicious, nutritious and sustainable!