Each year, Whole Foods compiles a list of well-researched food trends that they predict for the coming year. We take a look at each through of Foodismic microscope in the Indian context.

Trend: Yuzu Fruit

A rather small bumpy orange that tastes like a sweet lime and looks suspiciously like a gondhraj lemon – Yuzu is a citrus fruit grown across Korea, Japan and China. 2022 seems like the year of the Yuzu, internationally. 

However, in the Indian context, we don’t seem to seeing this one growing on us here. Why, you ask? Well because India has a bhandaara (pile) of local citrusy flavours we think, which surpass the health benefits and taste of that of Yuzu. The fragrance and flavours of the gondhraj lime, the delicate notes and lingering sweetness of desi mosambi, oranges from Nagpur – we’ve got the whole jhing bang!

In fact, the year 2022 looks more about homegrow produce. With more and more celeb chefs and nutritionists moving back to basics, we can definitely expect to see successful growth in bringing ancient veggies and millets back. Traditional eats, tribal cooking methods, ancient vessels and ingredients are all making a comeback – so maybe the Yuzu trend in the Indian context, will get swapped for homegrown produce instead of importing expensive fruits and veggies from overseas.

Fun fact: Importing yuzu is banned in the USA – this is to regulate the local agriculture and ensure that diseases from Asian fruits do not contaminate the local produce there. To keep up with the trend though, Yuzu is grown in the USA, albeit, in very small quantities making it an expensive buy.