Which Trendy Ingredient Is The Most Overrated? - Exclusive Survey

Some food trends stick around and become staple items, while others wither away, relegated to articles about strange things people used to eat. Kale, for example, went from a less popular green to being found everywhere and in virtually everything (looking at you, cookies and kale ice cream) to its now very normal level of appreciation as a nutritious side, all thanks to a talented PR team (via Self). Crystal Pepsi, on the other hand, didn't exactly thrive. Predicting which food trends will catch on and remain in favor isn't an exact science, though companies like Datassential crunch numbers and track data in an attempt to determine where a trendy food is in what they call the Menu Adoption Cycle, a tool the company uses to help clients anticipate trends and be "early to market" with things like gochujang, salted caramel, and, yes, kale.

But sometimes consumers push back; When people are tired of a food trend, they'll let you know. We wondered what ingredients people are ready to ditch, so Tasting Table asked 588 people living in the U.S. for feedback on which trendy ingredient they think is overrated, and the answers are intriguing.

30% of Tasting Table survey respondents don't find gilded food all that compelling, making gold foil the number one trendy ingredient people think is overrated. Maybe it's because the ingredient is entirely style over substance as edible gold doesn't add anything at all in terms of flavor, a spendy case of conspicuous consumption.

People are also nonplussed by truffle oil; 25% of you find it overrated — perhaps because many truffle oils don't actually contain truffles? And about 19% of respondents are over charcoal, preferring foods in a color other than black. Roughly 16% of people think rosewater is overrated, and microgreens can go for about 10% of you.

While consumers may not vibe with every food trend, we still love to look out for what's new and different. The Food Institute has made some predictions about what may be on the horizon, forecasting plant-based seafood, clean labels with information about a product's sustainability, and "mood foods" (or products containing ingredients like mushrooms, CBD, and THC) as up-and-coming trends for 2023.