Healthy US trends from kelp to yam

The diet in the United States is changing. More and more Americans, instead of monotonous fast food, are resorting to fancy fare from other countries, offering completely new flavors. Some years ago, the German kale developed into an insider tip on the vegetable market. The trend started in New York. The city dwellers ate their "kale" as a salad, as a side dish to bread or in a green smoothie.
Now seaweed should be the new hype. For example, kelp-based foods include snack bars, noodles and ham-flavored strips for breakfast. Sea kelp is valued for its beneficial ingredients such as valuable protein, iodine, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids.

Natural trends from the US: yam. Picture: oilslo - fotolia

The new trend is in line with the growing interest in vegan and vegetarian foods. For cow's milk there are now various herbal alternatives such as almond and oat milk, but also sugar-rich variants of cashew, macadamia and walnut.

In the past year, the demand for turmeric, the yellow ginger, and chia seeds in the US has risen sharply. The seeds of the chia plant of the mint family served the ancient Maya as a staple food. "Chia" means starch, as the protein-rich seeds provide a lot of energy. More recently, Americans have discovered the purple yam (Ube) from the Philippines, which gives sweet desserts and ice cream a splash of color.

Fermented foods like pickled mixed pickles and Korean kimchi are also popular in the US. There are many types of kimchi. However, the basis is usually Chinese cabbage, which is salted in, washed and mixed with a paste of garlic, onions, spices and chili and stored dark. During storage kimchi begins to ferment and gets the typical taste.

Some of these trends have already arrived and it will be interesting to see what tastes are still going on across the pond. (Heike Kreutz, aid)