The days are longer, the nights are shorter, the sun is shining, and it’s noticeably warmer. That’s right, summer is upon us! With the temperature rising, everyone is looking for fun and creative summer recipe’s to stay fresh. Here are some of the hottest summer food trends to keep you cool this summer!

Food Boards

Of course, this trend is not a new one, it seems to come back every summer, and for good reason, it’s awesome! Sharing things with other human beings has come back with a vengeance, as we move into our first ‘normal’ summer, since 2019. With all of that isolation going on, of course, it’s no surprise that we are so eager to enjoy each other’s company.

Food boards are no longer reserved just for chees, meat, and crackers. The modern food board now consists of an array of multicultural accompaniments, opening up the doors to an array of different foods, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! For example, the Smorgasboard is a food board piled high with all of your favourite breakfast foods like eggs, bacon, bagels, muffins, croissants, scones, etc. 

The dessert board is also something to be marvelled at. Why eat dessert all sad and alone when you can share a whole board of it with your loved ones? There is no wrong way that you can partner up desserts, throw in some chocolate-covered strawberries, cupcakes, cookies, mini-doughnuts, or even fruit (for a health conscience dessert). 

Plant-Based Braai

There is nothing more summery (or South African) than roasting some meat over a hot grill with polite company. But how could we include our plant-based friends and family from all the summer fun? With plant-based meat alternatives of course!

With the plant-based movement growing every day, and plant-based meat alternatives improving in quality all the time, we have seen a remarkable increase in plant-based meat alternatives. Along with the meat alternatives, there are also many ways to make your braai more vegan-friendly. Whether it be swapping out meat kebabs with veggie skewers, or adding some more vegetables to the braai, there are always more ways to cater to everyone when it comes to having a great summer braai. 

Funky Salads

You can’t have summer without salad, this is a known fact, but instead of the lazily prepared boring old wilted lettuce, tomatoes and feta basics, the summer salad should be a creative centrepiece! 

Thanks to TikTok, influencers and celebrities have no doubt changed the salad game, making salads the main event, not the lame side piece. Adding glazed/marinated meats, seafood toppings and generous amounts of homemade, or storebought, dressings such as Ceasar, Honey Mustard, Greek, Balsamic, and more! There are no rules when it comes to making a salad great! Throw some fruit in there if you want, don’t be afraid to mix up the sweetness and the spiciness. 

“Swicy” Snacks

You’d think with the summer heat rolling in, people would be more interested in sweet treats or something cold to help beat the heat. That is, decidedly, not so for this summer trend. “Swicy” or sweet and spicy, is one of the most interesting combinations of flavour on this list. This fun way to serve up snacks, particularly candy, has gained quite a bit of popularity online, with many recipes popping up on how to spice up your candy, and entirely new spicy candy stores opening up online, for all of your spicy candy needs. 

So, which of these summer food trends will you be trying?