2020 is the year that many people developed or rediscovered their love for cooking, baking, and food in general.
As we all try to stay safe at home, many of us suddenly found ourselves having more time to learn or pursue our hobbies and interests.
With the many months that the Philippines has been on lockdown or quarantine, it's almost impossible for one to not have at least tried cooking something different or new at least once.
Since a lot of us had misgivings about stepping out of the house during the early days of the quarantine period, the clear options were either to cook or have food delivered to your home.
Being confined to our homes has given birth to a number of food trends this year. Because of the challenge of not being able to go out as much as we used to--and also because of sheer boredom--people were forced to improvise and learn new recipes at home.
Moreover, food businesses also had to address the needs of their patrons who are stuck at home and also keep up with the current food trends that are going viral on the internet.
Many restaurants have even launched their own online delivery services or have finally made their food available on existing popular food delivery platforms.
It's quite interesting how ingenious people can be when they are suddenly given limited options. It's also impressive how from the challenges of staying at home for months, new products or means of getting food have been created. Indeed, necessity is the mother of invention.
Feeling nostalgic about all the great food you've enjoyed this year? Take a gastronomic trip down memory lane, as we revisit all the food trends in 2020 in this photo gallery.
The ube cheese craze is undeniably the top food trend of 2020. The Filipinos' love for the combination of ube and cheese has grown so much over the quarantine period, that restaurants and bakeshops have come up with a plethora of ube and cheese flavored offerings to satisfy the cravings of their customers. But among all ube cheese flavored food items, the ube cheese pandesal was definitely the most popular of them all.
The Dalgona Coffee is hands down the most popular drink of 2020. Everyone turned into an at-home barista and tried to recreate it. Although the drink actually originated in Macau and India, people often mistake it as a Korean drink since it was made popular by a K-drama, wherein the lead character tried a coffee in Macau and called it “Dalgona Coffee” because it resembled the Dalgona Koran Sponge Cake.
Sushi bake or baked sushi was among the top food trends in 2020. People were either making one at home or ordering from online businesses. Several variants of the sushi bake have also been created during the quarantine period such as the California Maki Baked Sushi and Kani Baked Sushi that Jelai Andres and Kara David made in an episode of 'Bright Side.'
Since people were prohibited to dine in resturants during the enhanced community quarantine, restaurants had to improvise and create DIY versions of their offerings, so people can enjoy them at home. Hence, the birth of the DIY kits. Some of the DIY kits born during the quarantine period were ramen kits, samgyupsal sets, cocktail kits, and baking kits.
At the beginning of the enhanced community quarantine when most restaurants were closed, people had to make do with cooking their own food at home. And since supplies of certain foods were scarce, many were left with only canned goods and instant noodles in their grocery carts. This led to the food trend of upgraded canned goods and leveled-up instant noodles recipes.
During the early days of the quarantine period, dining in restaurants were prohibited in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. So, several restaurants brought their food to the homes of their patrons via ready-to-cook meals that were available online for delivery.
As health became a top priority amid the pandemic, people have also opted for healthier food options this year, including vegan burgers.
Korean minimalist cakes became the stars of celebrations this year. They often have silhouettes or outlines of people, things and animals or have a touching or witty message in it.
Another baked creation that many couldn't get enough of this year is the Burnt Basque Cheesecake. This particular cheesecake, which originated from Basque Country in Spain is baked without a crust. It's baked at very high heat, which results in its almost burnt surface. Ever since it has become trendy, many new flavors of the Burnt Basque Cheesecake have been created.
This year, people were also enamored with the popular Korean street food, garlic cream cheese bread. Well, who wouldn't fall for a buttery garlic bread stuffed with sweetened cream cheese, right?
A lot of people unleashed their inner baker during the quarantine period to whip up all-time favorite pastries such as banana bread, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, sourdough bread and focaccia bread.
The Air Fryer proved to be very useful during the quarantine period, especially for those who don't know how to cook or have no time to do so. It's a more convenient and healthy option of preparing food, since you don't need to use cooking oil in it. Many tried existing quick and easy Air Fyrer recipes during lockdown, while some have concocted their own, just like 'Bubble Gang' star Archie Alemania, who came up with his Air Fryer recipe, the Sitaw Luncheon Meat Bacon Wrap, after not being able to find asparagus in the market.
The Korean series 'Start-up' started the corndog food trend. Several food stalls and online stores with delivery service have popped up in the metro. They offer corndogs with different fillings such as potato, mozzarella, cheddar, and sausage. There's also a variety coated with crispy noodles or ramen, and of course, there's also an ube cheese corndog.