2016 – the year that freakshakes took over our Instagram feeds, poke bowls popped into our lives, and cauliflower became cool. Here are just a few of our favourite food trends.
And if there's a foodie highlight here you've yet to taste, you can find them all on Deliveroo.
Bao buns went (almost) literally everywhere
Graduating from the street food circuit to the high street, these fluffy steamed buns went big in 2016. So much so, that the end of the year even saw baos make it onto POD's menu.
Eat the trend: Flesh & Buns, London
Pasta was the thing to eat out
With sleek pasta bars popping up everywhere in 2016, this Italian staple was no longer a dish to simply whip up at home, but one worth dining out for.
Eat the trend: Mele E Pere, London
Freakshakes dominated Instagram feeds
Possibly the most Instagrammed food of 2016, these incredibly decadent milkshakes have exploded onto the UK restaurant scene. Maybe next year we'll master the art of eating a whole one...
Eat the trend: Black Milk, Manchester
Avo mania reached whole new levels
A five-course avocado pop-up opened in April, proving that the world really has gone avo-mad. The green stuff went gourmet, with avo gazpacho, risotto, cocktails, ice cream and chocolate on the menu.
Eat the trend: The pop-up has popped down again now, so get your avo fix from Martin Morales' Andina instead. Think avocado smoothies, ceviche and salads.
Cauliflower was the vegetable
And then there was the unthinkable – cauli became cool. And not even just as a side dish, but as the main event. Like this jerk cauliflower steak with charred pineapple salsa from Hotbox, or Strut & Cluck's charred cauliflower with lemon zest infused crème fraîche and nigella seeds.
Eat the trend: Hotbox, London
We discovered poke bowls
Pronounced "poh-keh", Hawaii's signature raw fish salads hit UK shores, fast becoming the "it" lunch. With super healthy ingredients like raw tuna, seaweed and black rice, these bowls are sticking around well into the new year.
Eat the trend: Island Poke, London
Our ramen game got real
Real ramen made its way outside of the capital in 2016, with Shoryu opening a branch in Manchester. In October, ice-cream ramen – jelly 'noodles' in a 'soup' made from condensed milk – became the fad du jour.
Eat the trend: Shoryu, Manchester
So what's your favourite food trend? Get your food-of-the-moment fix on Deliveroo now.
