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What Americans Really Ate in 2018

December 26, 2018

Forbes  //  Food & Drink  //  by Lana Bandoim

From glitter bagels to broccoli coffee, 2018 brought many different trends. Although some ideas, like pickle-flavored foods, may last for a while, others will probably fade into obscurity as soon as you vacuum the last piece of glitter from those bagels. Take a look at what Americans really ate in 2018 and which trends are likely to return in 2019.

Home-Cooked Meals

Meat with onions and carrots in a frying pan. Credit: Getty Royalty FreeGETTY

According to the 2018 Plated's State of the Dinner Plate survey, seven out of 10 American households cooked dinner at home for five or more days per week. In spite of the growth of delivery services, most households still preferred to make their own meals. The most popular home-cooked cuisines were Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican, Spanish and Chinese.

Instagram-Worthy Food

Top view of plate with baked bagels covered with golden glitter. Credit: Getty Royalty FreeGETTY

Social media continued to influence food trends in 2018 because the desire to create a beautiful, share-worthy picture of your breakfast never faded. Gold glitter bagels and sparkly pizzas filled Instagram this year, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that some products were not safe to eat. "FDA wants you to be aware that some decorative glitters and dusts promoted for use on foods may, in fact, contain materials that should not be eaten. Many decorative glitters and dusts are sold over the Internet and in craft and bakery supply stores under names such as luster dust, disco dust, twinkle dust, sparkle dust, highlighter, shimmer powder, pearl dust and petal dust," the FDA shared.