Creators on Tik Tok have emerged to take on the ever-changing trend: cooking and trying new foods. From mukbangs to new cucumber salad mixes, food trends portray different aspects of cooking and encourage others to try various flavor palates. 

During the 2020 pandemic, creators began to cook at home and create videos on Tik Tok, forming FoodTok — the side of Tiktok centered around food — and the platform has skyrocketed since. Recipes such as whipped coffee and cloud bread started the FoodTok craze which gained millions of views worldwide and captured the attention of other foodies. Throughout the next couple years, food trends increased as creators altered or concocted new dishes, such as modifying whipped coffee to whipped matcha. Different takes on food may provide a variety for audiences, but three key trends highlight the significance of FoodTok. 

Mukbangs

Mukbangs originated in South Korea in 2009 and began to pick up steam in 2010, becoming a popular trend. This side of Foodtok included livestreams of people eating a copious amount of food with little to no talking, and also feature reactions of American Youtubers to those videos. After YouTube star Trisha Paytas began her mukbang journey, she became known as the “Queen of Mukbangs” and influenced others to try the trend. Recently, TikTokers have enjoyed participating in mukbangs that include Wingstop, Chipotle and other popular fast food chains where influencers show off and eat their plentiful meals while providing Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responses (ASMR). Common mukbang influencers such as Jellybean Sweets, Nikocado Avocado and Jane Mukbangs recently gained fame, inspiring others to create mukbang videos and join in on the trend. 

Weird food combinations

Weird food combinations, another continuous craze on the internet, reveal different foods combined in various cultures or households. Strange food combinations originate from food that families or other countries see as normal such as beans and toast in England. This trend additionally includes pregnancy cravings which people on social media platforms enjoy taste testing and rating. Through the media, people share their favorites and inspire others to try new foods which they may love. NC students also enjoy weird food combinations, both popular and unique ones, that they commonly eat and share with their friends and family.  

“I really liked when weird food combos started trending. I like the combination of pizza and mayonnaise the most. I think it’s always a good idea to try people’s food combinations before judging or saying that it’s gross because it’s always interesting trying something you would never expect to be good together,” magnet senior Sydney Ma said. 

Cucumber Salads

One current trend, cucumber salads, originated from Logan Moffitt who shared his love for creating and eating cucumber salad while including a variety of recipes. A cucumber salad requires a mix of cucumbers doused in preferred sauces and spices, inspired by other food such as his salmon and cream cheese cucumbers which inspired creators to join in and try their own salad mixes. Countless TikTokers incorporate their own culture’s flavors in their salads to add their own twist. This trend created such a spike in Moffit’s home country, of Iceland, that the nation now faces a shortage of the fruit. Cucumber salads show a healthier side to FoodTok and allow for personalization for participants. 

The new craze of FoodTok inspires creators to try and cook or bake foods they would try on their own. This creativity allows for the exploration of a variety of food and the combination of cultures within the foods. FoodTok will continue to inspire and influence creators to create new food ideas and express themselves in a unique way. 

“I do enjoy watching videos where people make food like the cucumber guy and some others. I actually had a couple of recipes that I’ve made from Tiktok like the cucumber trend. I think food on Tiktok is a good and influential trend,” magnet junior Nishan Patel said.