From TikTok’s viral recipes, to Instagram’s food posts, 2024 gave us a feast. With food trends blowing up the apps through culture and art, people were dying to get their hands and taste buds on the food-train. The internet took snacks to a new level, turning up the culture and fun to create booming businesses in the food industry. We’ll be diving into the origins of these must-try dishes, how they came to be, the rise of popularity, breaking down how to make them at home, and sharing various opinions on whether these trends are worth the hype and what it took to make them. Get ready to digitally taste and maybe even be inspired to try something new because 2024’s food trends are as much about the story as they are the flavor.

#1: The Chamoy Pickle

The Chamoy Pickle was a massive trend with more than 17 million reactions taking part. It was so popular, interested users could eventually purchase a “Chamoy Pickle Kit” on sites like Amazon, Walmart, and more. It became a meme after influencer Noah Miller (@nmilz1) made it and his video was shared virally across the internet.

What is the Chamoy Pickle? The ingredients for this spicy sour pickle contains a packaged pickle (spicy or regular) with Tajín, chamoy sauce, Takis, watermelon sour dust, sour straws and a Fruit Roll-Up. To make your chamoy pickle, first you need to carve out the inside of the pickle and wrap the fruit roll up around the whole thing. Then you stuff the sour straws and Takis inside the pickle and slather the entire thing with chamoy, Tajín, and the watermelon sour dust. 

“It was absolutely disgusting. The first bite it tasted very pickle-y but then it started to taste like plastic and blood. It’s overrated. Just put chamoy on a regular pickle.” said freshman Ariana Giannikos. Several other students were interviewed and all said it was gross and tasted very artificial.

I tried it and I thought it was okay. The flavors were strong but it was very sour and I could see why other people didn’t like it. The pickle is claimed to be very messy, spicy, and sour. Make sure you eat it with lots of napkins near, and whatever you do, don’t wear a white shirt.

#2: Tanghulu

Tanghulu is a Chinese dessert that started in Beijing during the Song Dynasty (970-1279). It consists of an assortment of fruits on a skewer, coated with hard sugar. It is sold all over Asia, and has since made its way to the US. It can be found in Asian convenience stores and Asian markets and some people sell it online. The tasty treat became a TikTok sensation earlier in the year and immediately became a huge trend.

How is it made? You first need to get an assortment of small pieces of fruit and put them on a skewer, you can make however much you want. Then, you get sugar and melt it in a pan and bring it to a boil. You then roll the skewers in the melted sugar until covered and then submerge it in a bowl with ice and water. After a few seconds, the sugar should be hardened and ready to eat.

“I used strawberries, grapes, and oranges. It was good, but it’s a lot of work for what you get out of it,” says freshman Jade Woolridge.

The crunchy fruity snack was on the news after several injury reports were made due to burns from the boiling sugar. People would boil the sugar and burn themselves when dipping or pouring it onto the fruit. Doctors warn people to either not make it, or make it with precaution, and for kids to have an adult around them. It’s still okay to make it at home, but you need to be extra careful and do it right. Ideally, people should buy it in a store or online.

“I was scared of the sugar popping up from the pan so I wore gloves,” Jade says.

#3: Cucumber Salad

The cucumber salad trend was a popular and engaging food trend of 2024 because of the variety of ways to make it. Tiktoker Logan Moffitt (@logansfewd) started posting videos of him making Asian cucumber salads out of a big cucumber. He cuts a whole cucumber using a mandoline slicer into a large container, adding different ingredients, and topping it off with MSG. Finally, he shakes the container up, creating a flavorful snack.

Why are these salads different? Because of the mix of a variety of Asian flavors and ingredients in a container with cucumber slices, and there’s two kinds he and others alike make that stand at the forefront of the trend. The first one is the Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad with soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, a grated garlic clove, green onions, vinegar, and chili crunch.

“It’s super simple and there’s a lot of alternatives so you have options for what you like,” says senior Astrid Hefner. “I really liked it.” 

The second recipe is the California Roll Cucumber. It includes imitation crab cut up into small pieces, half of an avocado, a spoonful of cream cheese, mayo, soy sauce, pickled ginger, sesame seeds, and MSG. It is shaken up in a large container and is supposed to taste like a crunchy California Roll.

“Anyone can make it with stuff they most likely have in their kitchen. I’m glad I participated in the trend and I would make it again.”

#4: Hwachae

Hwachae [hwa-chay] is a Korean “fruit punch” that comes from the Joseon dynasty, when royalty would drink it as a luxurious and fancy beverage. There is debate around what category of drink it is, whether that be a soup or just a drink. Originally, it had a base of watermelon as the main fruit, but users on TikTok added their own selection of fruits to make it more satisfying for them. It became a trend after TikToker Amy Flamy (@amyflamy) made videos of herself saying that she woke up severely dehydrated and would make a big bowl of Hwachae.

How is it made? Hwachae is made from small cut up pieces of fruit, fruit jellies, strawberry milk, ice, and lemon-lime soda—typically sprite. Once you get all these ingredients into a big bowl, you’re left with a sweet and cool drink that is great for hydration. The most common fruits people use are blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, melon, pomegranate seeds, banana, dragon fruit, and watermelon. Some also include fruit jelly or lychee jelly in it but it’s not a key ingredient. 

“It tasted really good. It tasted like Italian soda,” says sophomore Mia Alvarez. “My family discovered it when they travelled to Asia and I also saw it on social media.”

When I first saw this recipe appear online, I was unsure it tasted good because of the fruit, milk, and soda combination. After looking online of people trying and making it, I found out that people really enjoy it and it’s a great beverage to quench your thirst. It’s also super fun and easy to make!

#5: Sprite Gummies

Following the sweet soda treat, sprite gummies were an arguable treat that sprung on the internet. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad as views online are generally split. ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) influencer Emeri (@emeri) introduced the trend because of its satisfying eating sounds, and then TikTok user Kat Chao followed up with a video on how to make it.

What are Sprite Gummies? To make Sprite Gummies, you need a bowl, gummy bears, and Sprite. You first place the gummies in a bowl and soak them in Sprite. Place it in the fridge overnight and you will see the gummy bears have expanded. Then pour the Sprite out of the bowl and put the gummies in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen. When they are fully frozen, you will have a bowl of cold, fizzy, chewy gummies.

“It wasn’t good. It was easy to make but it wasn’t worth the time it took,” says freshman Arriana Ross.

This fun sugary snack has become quite polemic on TikTok. There have been a lot of videos of people saying how gross they were or how they weren’t good and it wasn’t worth it. Other people have praised it and said how fun it is to make and how satisfying it was to eat. From the videos I saw, it takes so much time which causes people to have to make two-part videos.

“It just tasted like frozen chewy nothing,” Arriana says.

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2024 was a huge year for many things. Easy to make foods and exciting recipes are things that this generation loves to see. People love finding new ways to eat healthier, better, and even more fun. These trends have gone extremely viral across social media platforms and it has given creators and businesses more  acknowledgment. People in my community loved this year’s food trends and are excited to see what will come in 2025.