Remember Cronuts? A Look Into the Rise and Fall of Trendy Foods
I’d like to take you back to 2013: your younger self is strolling down the street when you turn the corner and nearly bump into a line trailing down the block. Confused, you ask the person you nearly bulldozed what everyone is waiting in line for. Could it be someone filming the Harlem Shake? A pre-release of Lorde tickets? Maybe just traffic from someone trying to create a Vine for the first time? The patron looks you up and down, affronted, and says one word: cronuts.
A decade later, cronuts have become antiquated and commonplace, found in nearly every corner donut shop. So where did the viral trend come from? From cronuts to avocado toast, cloud bread to unicorn cakes, let’s explore some of the craziest food trends from the last ten years.
Cloud Bread (2020)
Back in 2020, at the height of the Keto diet trend and also when everyone was stuck inside, Cloud Bread made its rise (get it?) in popularity. Throwing its roots all the way back to the low-carb Atkins diet of the 70s, cloud bread has been around for a while. So why the sudden viral sensation? One word: TikTok. Once the newest generation got wind of a low-carb, aesthetically pleasing snack, the rest was history.
Activated Charcoal (2017)
For some reason, everyone in 2017 thought it would be really fun to add activated charcoal to as many food items as possible and turn all of our mouths black. You could find charcoal in anything from ice cream to lattes to cocktails. This quick-to-come, quick-to-go trend even went so far as to have its own “Fifty Shades of Charcoal” festival back in 2018. It has since been banned in New York City.
Rainbow Bagels (2016)
Now we look at the opposite end of the charcoal spectrum! Although they were already two decades in the making, rainbow bagels didn’t make their meteoric claim to fame until 2016 when Brooklyn-based bakery, The Bagel Shop, trademarked their now infamous design and attracted hungry customers from all over the world. Keep in mind, this is the moment in our history where Instagrammable foods became a number one priority.
Unicorn Cakes (2015)
I can confidently say that I made one of these for my niece back in 2019 and the crowd went wild. However, it felt so simple to me: basic cake, basic white base frosting, and some swirly rainbow frosting finished off with ears, eyes, and a horn. My feelings went unmatched as every mom and daughter at the party couldn’t stop guffawing over the edible unicorn. After one baker back in 2015 posted their rendition of the unicorn cake, it quickly skyrocketed to new heights and became a viral sensation for any girl’s birthday party turning 5-12 years old. Mine tasted amazing, thanks for asking.
Insane Desserts (2014)
Maybe I’ll sound like an old man saying this but remember when desserts used to be more about substance over style? Again, we can thank the rise of Instagram for these absurd creations (hello Freakshakes). It felt like a fever dream watching every dessert creator try to out-do everyone else and think everywhere but inside the box. Ironically enough, the dental industry saw a massive uptick in business that year.
Cronuts (2013)
The entire genesis of this article came from a late-night conversation I had with my husband last week. As both of us are doing the 75Hard Challenge, we were discussing every naughty craving we’ve abstained from over the last six weeks. I finally looked up at him and said, “Dude, remember cronuts?” Ever since, I have asked friends and family about the cronut craze of 2013 and all of them remember lines a mile long and enough Instagram content to crash the app. The recipe stems from French bakery owner Dominique Ansel and took two months to perfect.
Avocado Toast (2010s)
You simply cannot hear the word “millennial” without instantly thinking of avocado toast. The simple-yet-sensational breakfast phenomenon throws its roots all the way back down under in the early 90s when restauranteur Bill Granger, owner of Bill’s Place in Australia, claims he was the first person to market avocado, lime, salt, and olive oil on toast. All I have to say: thank you, Bill. G’day, mate.
