2011 Oddest Food Trends

According to a January 2011 Bay Citizen article, San Francisco is always a foodie town and there is one must-attend food event every year: The Fancy Food Show at Moscone Center. More than 1,300 exhibitors from 50 different countries attend to exhibit unique treats such as bacon marshmallows.

Below is a list of 2011's oddest trends:

Chipotle and habanero peppers: including in everything from miso to mayo to artisanal candies. As people bite down into hot peppers in unexpected places, this trend gives "hot chocolate" a whole new meaning.

Goat's milk: used in cheese, kefir (beverage made from fermented milk) and caramels. It's lower in lactose than cow's milk, and better for sensitive stomachs. However, because it is pungent and musky, it's an acquired taste that keeps the eater aware of the milk's origins.

Sweet potatoes: they're rich in complex carbs, dietary fiber, beta carotene, and vitamins A, C, and B6. (Vitamin B6 can benefit the body's immune and cardiovascular systems.) Besides their use in pies, they were also used in puffs, crackers, fries and chocolate truffles.

Nostalgia: when it comes to food, memory often overrides all other factors. There was an abundance of marshmallows, chocolate-flavored peanut butters and more.

Coconut water: this is not the same as opaque coconut milk or coconut cream, rather it is the fat-free, fresh-tasting and crystal-clear liquid found inside green young coconuts. In warm climates, street vendors slice off the tops and sell the bottoms with coconut water inside and a straw.

Other oddball items include: olive-oil gelato, haggis-flavored potato chips, and wasabi-infused cheddar cheese. Also check out jade-green moroheiya noodle, calcium-packed black chia-seed butter and tangy hemp-oil vinaigrette.