TikTok food trends: bizarre or brilliant?

Food TikTok continues to break boundaries and surprise us with bizzare combinations that taste out of this world. With these trends, you either love or hate them. Let's look at the foods dominating the app at the moment and why.

Spicy pickled garlic

This flooded the For You page when TikTok creator, Lala @lalaleluu’s video went viral after she ate pickled garlic cloves out of a jar. “Call me crazy, but it’s delicious” said Lala and many others agree. Making the spicy, savoury snack is easy and Lala said she eats a whole jar of pickled garlic in one sitting.

Start by draining the vinegar from a jar of pickled garlic and add sriracha, chili flakes and thyme and shake well. People were surprised with how well this combination worked. Lala explained that she started experimenting after she missed her previous neighbours’ homemade kimchi and so she wanted to create something closer to that taste.

This trend gained popularity due to its uniqueness because most people would not imagine garlic to taste good with its pungent and strong smell. Similarly, most people have restrictions on their time and prefer a quick and easy snack. The spicy pickled garlic trend is perfect in this circumstance because it only involves the mixing of common ingredients with its taste receiving a thumbs up by many. While some approve of the recipe, a few have come to dislike it. Try it for yourself to see where you stand.

Nature’s Cereal

Secondly, the all-famous Nature’s Cereal trended on TikTok after it was introduced by Sherwayne Mears @natures_food. This healthy breakfast cereal is certainly not your typical mixture of milk and cereal flakes. Instead, Sherwayne used coconut water to which he added a mixture of fruit and berries in a wooden bowl. The recipe included pomegranate seeds, blackberries and blueberries. However others have added their own variations to the mix, such as strawberries, raspberries and ice cubes.

This trend grew in popularity after famous singer songwriter Lizzo posted a TikTok of her making nature's cereal. With nature’s cereal however, you either love it or you don’t. Many were skeptical as they called the recipe “simply an unblended smoothie”. However, Sherwayne explained that the cereal gave him an immense energy boost in the morning.

This recipe grew popular because it reflected a healthy lifestyle suitable for most if not all diets. The aesthetics of the cereal itself appealed to many, as it was served in a brown wooden bowl resembling the husk of a coconut. This natural take on food once again appeals to an ideal healthy lifestyle that most people wish to adopt.

Baked oats

Last but not least is an easy sweet treat: baked oats. This decadent and rich recipe caught the eyes of many on TikTok with morning oats evolving from bland and boring to a rich, delicious breakfast. Baked oats recipes are versatile, healthy and delicious at the same time. Various TikTok creators have put their own spin on baked oats with flavours such as peanut butter and jelly, chocolate oreo, biscoff, cinnamon roll and cookie dough.

A popular recipe is a vegan chocolate banana baked oats recipe by @bearenger on TikTok. Bea adds mashed bananas, oats, cocoa powder, maple syrup, oat milk, vanilla, salt and baking powder to a ramekin. The mixture is topped with banana slices and sprinkled with chocolate chips before it goes into the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 20 minutes. The oats come out ooey-gooey and absolutely gorgeous.

TikTok food creators have been trying to add flavour to oat recipes and struck-out with baked oats that is now a popular favourite. This makes an attractive breakfast idea because it surprises people that something so decadent can contain just 200 to 300 calories, sometimes even lesser depending on the recipe. Baked oats are a great start to the day and it is so convenient to make. TikTok creators have essentially shown us that healthy can also mean delicious.

Edited by Pia Cooper