Why You May Start Seeing Pistachios And Dates Everywhere In 2023

Those interested in predicting fashion trends often look to the Pantone color of the year, observes NPR, since the company's spotlighted color always seems to work its way into the cultural mainstream. In the food industry, however, trends are more difficult to predict, as there is no bellwether person or company who can singlehandedly shape what happens in the coming year. As The New York Times notes, predicting food trends is an imperfect and often impractical art, since the most influential trends often unfold over the course of multiple years; in some cases, decades.

This doesn't stop food companies and organizations from trying to predict what's on the horizon, of course. As one year comes to a close, it's only natural to forecast what might happen in the new one. One company that has already gone on the record with its 2023 predictions is Lyons Magnus. The international food service company markets a wide variety of products but has zeroed in on a few specific ingredients, drinks, and concepts it expects to capture the foodie zeitgeist in 2023, per a recent press release.

This isn't merely intuition, mind you. The company's forecast is based on research and analysis, and if the data is right — well, we hope you're a fan of pistachios and dates.

Yes, that's right: Lyons Magnus' research shows pistachios and dates will be trendy ingredients in 2023, according to the company's press release. Not only is Lyons Magnus predicting pistachio will be used as an ingredient in myriad food and drinks in 2023, the company also speculates that it might become the next big thing in plant milk; à la nutty almond or hazelnut milks. It looks, too, as if pistachio may make a splash as a color. Although it's unlikely to rival Viva Magenta (Pantone's color for 2023), Lyons Magnus is forecasting that pistachio will become a fashionable hue for items like shoes and handbags.

As for dates, their potential trending status in 2023 isn't tied to color, but rather to flavor and health. Lyons Magnus believes the stone fruit's natural sweetness and caramel undertones, combined with its healthy fiber and antioxidant-rich makeup, will lead to a plethora of uses in 2023. Dates will be a must-add to charcuterie boards — another trend in recent years — and a flavor enhancer for items as diverse as coffee, desserts, pastries, and smoothies, per the press release.

Among its other predictions, Lyons Magnus forecasts that nostalgia as a concept will be big in 2023, as will slushie drinks and novel varieties of coffee and tea, per the company's press release.