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One ingredient that is definitely making a splash in the culinary world this year is ube (pronounced oo-beh), a purple variety of yam originating from the Philippines, meaning ‘tuber’ in Tagalog. It is also known as dioscorea alata, uwhi, and Guyana arrowroot, and it is extremely popular right now.

CNN reports that nearly 1.7 million kilograms of ube products were exported by the Philippines in 2025, up 20.4% compared to 2024. Nearly half of those exports went to the United States.

You can find ube in many places these days, including in Starbucks drinks in the US and Europe, as well as in Costa, the UK-based coffee shop chain.

“Even if there’s something that’s very familiar and simple, if the color is different or exciting — like the rainbow bagel, like the acai bowl, like strawberries that are paler than a regular strawberry, like matcha — it helps bring that appeal. Ube felt like an obvious candidate based on both, ‘Here’s a new flavor that’s not very challenging to people, but also fits into this desire to have aesthetically pleasing food,” Bettina Makalintal, a senior reporter at Eater, explained to CNN.

Meanwhile, ube is not only used in drinks. When you mash it and boil it with milk, sugar, and butter, you get a thick spread or a type of jam that is known as ube halaya or halayang ube. You can then eat it on its own or use this spread as a topping, filling, or base in various desserts, such as cheesecake, flan, ice cream, etc.

“Today it [ube] is everywhere. Ube ice cream in New York, ube cakes in London, ube lattes in Tokyo. It is an incredible success story,” Lionel Dabbadie, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in the Philippines, said in a recent speech at the International Farm Tourism Conference in Baguio earlier this year.

Another trend ramping up in 2026 is solo dining. CNN notes that, in recent years, this trend has been frustrating some restaurant owners. There have been instances in South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom where solo diners get turned away. Businesses would much rather seat groups of people during their busiest periods. Other eateries, however, are more than happy to serve them.

According to data from international reservation platform OpenTable, solo dining is a growing global trend: it saw a 19% increase year-over-year worldwide in 2025. What’s more, solo diners are big spenders, paying an average of $90 per person, 54% higher than the general per-person average.

“The ‘table for one’ is no longer a matter of convenience; it’s a growing trend across the globe. With parties of one outpacing every other party size, our data suggests that the ‘solo stigma’ has been traded for a culture of independence and exploration,” explains Laure Bornet, senior vice president of the International Growth Department at OpenTable.

“What we see is a revenue opportunity for restaurants. Solo diners don’t only spend more, but they might also fill some of the small gaps that you have in your dining areas.”

Food trends are constantly shifting and evolving. Back in 2025, Dubai chocolate, dumpling one-pan bakes, and cottage cheese took the cake, according to the BBC.

In early 2026, experts predicted that this year, the trends likely to dominate menus and shopping baskets might include fricy (fruit and spicy) flavors, small portions and snackification, functional food and drinks, burnt butter, fancified jacket potatoes, and cabbage.

“Mini versions of drinks, dishes, treats and indulgences are accelerating for two reasons. One – they're playful, cute and just make you smile. Two – they are the new go-to for those consumers either looking to cut down on portion sizes or those who are on weight-loss GLP-1s,” Jen Creevy, director of food and drink at global trend forecaster WGSN, explained to the BBC.

Meanwhile, Charlie Parker, senior nutritionist at Ocado Retail, noted a shift among customers toward quality and nutrient density. In a nutshell, more and more consumers are looking to increase the amount of protein and fiber that they consume.

“The good news about fibre is that it's all about adding more of the good stuff to meals, rather than focusing on restriction or cutting things out,” says Louisa Brunt, senior nutritionist at M&S.

So, based on current food trends, even if you’re snacking, you might want your food and drinks to be healthy and nutritional, not just tasty and fun.

For instance, you might opt for something functional and mood-boosting like probiotic sodas, electrolyte powders, water kefirs, and natural energy drinks.

(And if you’ve noticed that nearly everything in your grocery store seems to be full of protein and fiber these days, you are definitely not alone. Proteinmaxxing and fibermaxxing much?)

In the meantime, experts predict that 2026 might be the year that cabbage makes a powerful comeback and reaches the mainstream.

The BBC reports that in 2025, searches for cabbage on Pinterest spiked massively: cabbage dumpling searches soared 110%, Polish golumpki cabbage soup searches were up 95%, and fermented cabbage saw a 35% rise in searches, too.

What’s your relationship with cooking and food like, dear Pandas? What are your favorite dishes to cook at home or to eat when dining out? Have you ever worked in the food and service industry?

What would be the perfect go-to snack or drink for you right at this moment? How do you stay positive when your culinary adventures don’t go quite as planned?

Share all your food and humor-related thoughts with us, as well as your fellow readers, in the comments down below. And if you’ve got any stellar family recipes that you want to share with us all, we’d be happy to give them a try.