A menu for 2021 Share As the new year gets underway, experts are, as usual, prognosticating about food trends. This year, many – but not all – of those predictions are linked to the pandemic. Their crystal ball visions cover everything from individual ingredients to food preparations and how restaurants will operate. Food & Wine magazine says that Americans will undertake a deeper exploration of African-American foodways. Canned cocktails (Real Simple) will be a thing, as will take-and-bake kits (delish.com) and Basque Burnt Cheesecake (New York Times). (You read it here first, check Dine Out restaurant critic Andrew Ross’s 2020 Best of list, including Best Cake on a Frigid Winter Night.) Charcuterie boards will be about a lot more than meat and cheese, says Better Homes & Gardens: Look for breakfast boards filled with bagels or pancakes, candy boards, and even taco bar-like boards. According to Whole Foods, “chickpeas are the new cauliflower.” Martha Stewart agrees. She also thinks pesto will be the new banana bread.