Everyone is looking for the next guilty pleasure, whether it be a television show, activity, or more importantly, a new food trend. These seven foods have swept the nation at one point or another, satisfying tastebuds by the masses.
Every trend originates from somewhere, but these sweet treats have come full circle by defining themselves as “the next big thing.” The following guilty pleasures have made a name for themselves and were made popular across the globe. Each decadent dessert or snack has found itself in its own specialized storefront. Find out where to find these trendy treats in downtown Baltimore.
Snow Cones
Photo courtesy of Nicolette Francis on flickr.com
Snow cones, our first food trend, originated in Texas at a state fair to satisfy customers during the summertime heat. A snow cone was designed like an ice cream cone, familiarizing the concept, except with a twist.
Customers could walk around on a hot day with simply crushed shaved ice and their choice of a variety of syrup flavors. The rainbow array of mixed syrups became iconic.
A popular place to find one includes a beautiful view in Fells Point called The Pretzel Twist. Because it is a seasonal stand, they do not have a website and operate through other forms of social media. Have no fear — we have tracked down their location at Thames St. & S Broadway.
Macarons
Photo by Ana Cvetkovic
Macarons originated in Italy, then became popular in Paris. There are three different types of macarons: French, Italian, and coconut. Coconut have been most common, but French macarons have become increasingly more popular for their variety of flavors and pretty pastel colors.
French macarons have even been featured in the hit series Gossip Girl. Check out a well known macaron shop, Ladureé in NYC, where Gossip Girls promoted the high-end cookie on location. They are almost like a fluffy cookie with a thin layer of flavored creme filling that comes in a sophisticated box.
If you don’t have time to visit the Big Apple there are other alternatives here in Baltimore — Pâtisserie Poupon is a local business that has a variety of different sweets, along with café food.
Frozen Yogurt
Photo by Grace Hagan
Frozen yogurt has been around since the neolithic people of South Asia, but was revamped in Boston at a self-serve frozen yogurt joint called Humphrezz Yogart. This sparked a fast trend across the US.
The concept was perfect: customers felt like they were eating relatively healthy by controlling how many toppings they put on their yogurt and how much yogurt they put in their cups.
Although there are bigger chains such as Red Mango, or Pinkberry shown in the 2014 film Still Alice, independent frozen yogurt store fronts began to spread like wildfire. A popular local place to explore is in Federal Hill at Forever Yogurt.
Cupcakes
Photo by Lital Slobodsky
Cupcakes originated in the US and have been around for awhile, but have recently been reintroduced as a mainstream trend. Shows like Cupcake Wars have sparked the public’s interest about cupcakes, attracting thousands of people to well-known cupcake and pastry stores such as Carlos Bakery in several locations, Sprinkles cupcakes in NYC (which offers a vending machine service), Baked by Melissa in NYC (who specialize in miniature cupcakes), and Georgetown cupcakes in DC (that display their signature star symbol on each decadent cupcake.)
If you want to find a variety of delicious cupcakes in Baltimore, Midnite Confection’s Cupcakery does the job.
Donuts
Photo courtesy of happydaydonuts.com
Donuts were originated by the Dutch and the British. Major companies who have been known to jumpstart the donut evolution include Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts, who paired the product with coffee as well.
Recently, specialized donut storefronts have been popping up in many towns with a different twist. These donuts are not just your average chocolate, glazed, and powdered flavors. Now they are being advertised with exotic toppings, seasonal designs, and themed flavors. Check out these absurd donuts. Enticing right? B Doughnut in Hampden sells donuts like hotcakes, so get there early.
Acaí Bowls
Photo courtesy of playabowls.com
This is most definitely the healthiest snack trend. Acaí was originally found in the Amazon, but acaí Bowls originated in northern Brazil. The bowls found their way to southern California and Hawaii, being advertised as a post-workout or breakfast treat for surfers.
Despite its expensive quality, the bowls can be customized with different fresh fruits and toppings. The consistency is a little thicker than a smoothie, but the fruity mix of flavors and colors make it appealing and it’s the perfect food to fill you up. Not to mention, it’s the one trend so far that’s guilt-free.
Definitely check out Pure Raw Juice Bar for your breakfast, lunch, or post-workout fix.
Rainbow Bagels
Photo by Max Bartick
Last, but not least, bagels originated in Poland and are known as a staple breakfast food, but recently this new twist on the bagel has revitalized the product. The Bagel Store in NYC (in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn) created the concept and art of selling colorful bagels along with rainbow filling.
These swirled rainbow bagels have become very popular on Instagram due to the eye-catching colors. Although it would be amazing to have these colored concoctions here in Baltimore, they are too new to foodies, and can only be found in NYC… for now. If you’re on a budget, check out Spoon’s recipe for making rainbow bagels at home.
Although these seven food trends are not the only worthy food trends over the years, they are certainly among some of the most upcoming and well known food trends. New trends are always popping up and we can’t wait to see what’s next.