Egg-citing Food Trends for 2024
President's Blog
President, Burnbrae Farms
4th Generation Farmer
From grocery shopping to dining out, I love learning how the latest food trends may influence our plates. The first few months of a new year are always marked by food pundits guessing what trends will be hot for the year ahead. I like to take those food trends and see how eggs will fit in as the year progresses. The verdict for 2024? There are so many ways to incorporate eggs into the hot trends! Here are my favourites.
Trend: The 2024 Hospitality Trends Report from AF&Co and Carbonate predicts that the cuisine of the year will be Korean food. They say that condiments such as kimchi (spicy fermented vegetables such as cabbage and carrots) and gochujang (Korean chili paste) will be popular. Dishes such as tteokbokki (chewy rice cakes in gochujang sauce), fried chicken and bibimbap (rice bowl with meat, eggs and vegetables) will top many menus.
How Eggs Fit In: Eggs are a staple ingredient in Korean food. They are must-haves for gyeran jjim (steamed egg custard) and kimbap (rice rolls). Dishes such as bibimbap or tteokbokki are often topped with a fried egg or jammy soft-boiled egg. Or this Korean-style egg sandwich is always a crowd pleaser. Yum!
Trend: The 2024 Hospitality Trends Report also named the dessert of the year: meringue-based desserts such as pavlova and Eton mess. Meringue, made from egg whites, is paired with whipped cream or pastry cream and topped with fresh fruit in these desserts.
How Eggs Fit In: These sweet, satisfying desserts rely on egg whites as a key ingredient to make meringue. You can separate whole eggs and keep the yolks for sauces, or you can use Naturegg Simply Egg Whites , made from 100% pure egg whites, there’s no cracking required, just shake and pour to make meringue. Try our Meringue nests with cinnamon glazed peaches or Simply sweet lemon meringue tarts .
Trend: The New York Times food writers named “soup” the dish of the year. They like that it is an easy way to experiment with different flavours from around the globe and say, “for cooks, it’s a low risk, forgiving way to experiment with new flavours and ingredients.”
How Eggs Fit In: Broth, Parmesan cheese and eggs marry beautifully in Stracciatella soup . You can also add a fried egg onto your favourite soup, as we’ve done here with this Thai-style green curry noodle soup.
Trend: Comfort food is always trending because it makes us feel good. The twist for 2024 is serving mash-ups of two comfort foods combined into one dish. Examples include taco burgers, where the ground meat is flavoured with taco seasoning, topped with guacamole and served in a traditional burger bun, or grilled cheese baked in tomato soup to become a casserole.
How Eggs Fit In: Eggs are the perfect base for mashups, since they are already found in many comfort foods. Try combinations such as a Burrito omelette , a fried egg Club house sandwich or this delicious Breakfast pizza .
Trend: The 2024 Hospitality Trends Report predicts that the grain of the year will be buckwheat. This gluten-free grain is a member of the rhubarb family and can be cooked whole, made into noodles (soba) or ground into flour and used for pancakes and crepes.
How Eggs Fit In: I love this Burnbrae Farms recipe for Buckwheat crepes with eggs and smoked salmon . It capitalizes on two trends: it uses the grain of the year and is a comfort food mash-up!
All of the trend lists also mention sustainability and reducing food waste as a carryover trend from the past few years. Those topics are always top of mind at Burnbrae Farms, as we strive for a carbon neutral status. We announced our commitment to being net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Zero waste cooking is also a trend. We’re on top of that too! Click here to read about how you can use up eggshells in unique ways.
Margaret Hudson
President and CEO Burnbrae Farms