The New York Times Food Section Predicts

A new year means new predictions. The  New York Times food section has theirs today for the year ahead. Will they be right? Do they have a thumb on the pulse of what America and New Yorkers want to eat?

My predictions yesterday were off compared to the ones Food section regular contributor , Kim Severson , had. She predicts that Japanese food will be the hot cuisine of choice. This is due to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a rise in travel to Japan. Japanese toast is already , made from pan de mie,becoming popular. India also will be on the culinary radar too, namely the spicy Keralan cuisine from southwest India. This is a cuisine heavy on the spices along with being rich with coconut, rice and fish. West Africa, Laos and Vietnam will also be popular too. I thought for sure it would be more Middle Eastern, but maybe that's been played out already. However Ms. Severson also predicts generational cooking where young chefs will be influenced by their immigrant parents and grandparents. New dishes and family recipes, which may include some Middle Eastern recipes and spices.

There is even a predicted color of the year : blue and its' deeper variation indigo.Butterfly pea powder, which could be the new matcha is showing up in moon milk, a sleep remedy based on Ayurvedic recipes.Ube, a purple root vegetable and orach, mountain spinach , a purply cabbage like veggie will also be the stars of this year's tables.. Ms. Severson and I do agree on sustainability. She predicts that restaurants and food producers are and will be doubling down on earth friendly ingredients and practices. Vegan dishes and meat alternatives will show up on more menus. It's what I wrote yesterday about more home chefs will be offering their families Beyond Burgers and other plant based "meats". Also I think more fast food chains such as Wendy's Taco Bell and possibly Chipotle may switch over to Beyond Beef. Ms. Severson also foretells that finer dining places will also offer faux bouef. There will also be a rise in regenerative plants such as chickpeas and buckwheat which farmers use to regain soil between harvests. Also look for more biodegradable utensils from fast food places.

These are just some of the predictions for the upcoming year. There may be something new that arises that wasn't on the culinary radar. Guaranteed this year will be  a year full of interesting tastes .

Rio Carnival Of Food

Rio is awash in Olympic fever right now, with athletes and locals getting wild in the city of samba and sunshine. The city is know for it's festive atmosphere and party foods.It's a tasty mix of four Continents melded together to create a unique and delicious cuisine.

What is Brazilian food?It'a a truly fine mix of European, African Asian and indigenous recipes and ingredients.The country doesn't have regionalized cuisine, per se .It's divided into four sections, There is southeast Brazil's fejoada, one of the country's most famous dishes.This is a kind of stew, made from black beans mixed with pork and beef. Tomatoes, carrots and cabbage round it out and it's usually served with rice. It's all prepared in a big  clay pot over a low heat.Sometimes blood sausage is served with it as well.The Japanese also went to Brazil and with them brought spring rolls that transformed into pastel, a kind of  thin pastry envelope filled with meat and/or cheese. These became a popular street food.In the ocean side state of Espirito Santo German and Italian immigrants influenced  the cuisine. especially the Northern Italian dish of polenta.Olive oil is mandatory  in cooking too, another Italian influence. In the nearby state of Minas Gerais,frango con quiabo, chicken with okra along with tutu de feijo. a mix of cassava paste and beans is a favorite.

Northern Brazil, especially around the Amazon Forest the food is the purest of indigenous recipes and cuisines.One of the most famous dishes is palo no tucapi  a duck soup that is literally cooked in front of the eater. It is first spicing  and then roasting a duck with bacon in a clay pot, then covering it with tomatoes, watercress and garlic. it's then served with manioc flour and white rice. The northeastern part of the country from Ba'hia to Perambuco has a cuisine that is a marriage of African and indigenous ingredients.They make vatapa a dish of shrimp, bread and coconut mixed with a paste of peanuts and cassava.The dish can also be made with chicken or tuna. Another shrimp dish is Bobo de Camaro made with the seafood and manioc cream.A popular street food is acaraje a fried ball made from black eyed peas cooked in dende or palm oil. Tapioca is also big here and it's made into a flat bread and eaten for breakfast,usually with a filling of cooked cheese and flan.Popular throughout Brazil is the many different kinds of pastas the immigrants brought with them.From spaghetti to ramen, these make up a good portion of the diet.

Rio is a city awash in Olmypic spirit right now. It is also awash in a myriad of different foods influenced from the indigenous and immigrants that give it its colors.The food is amazing.The country is amazing. Rio is an amazing food town.