Unless you’ve been living under a rock and shunning all social media, you’ve probably noticed the rise of the Frankenstein food trend over the past few years.
Kooky creations like monster milkshakes the size of a human head, psychedelic rainbow bagels and a new take on the humble ice cream cone are among some of the hottest food crazes to hit our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Below are nine of the latest and greatest viral food trends. Dig in and buon appetito!
The rainbow bagel
Undoubtedly the world’s most beautiful carb, the famous rainbow-colored bagels of The Bagel Store in Brooklyn, New York have become one of this year’s biggest viral sensations. These psychedelic bagels come in a range of colors and can even be custom color-ordered. They’re made by hand using a secret recipe and dyeing technique which its creator Scot Rossillo spent 20 years perfecting. Demand is so huge that eager customers line up around the street corner in a bid to try out the tasty treat, which sell out every day and sometimes in under two hours.
The Mufgel
What do you get when a muffin and a bagel fall in love? Introducing the Mufgel, created by the same genius that brought us the rainbow bagel. Rossillo came up with the idea for the Mufgel after listening to a radio commercial poking fun of viral food trends. This delicious creation has a crunchy muffin-like top and a soft and chewy bottom and comes in a variety of sweet and savory flavors that often change. They include Fruity Pebbles with Funfetti cream cheese, Oreo cream cheese and chocolate chip and the mozzarella cheese pizza Mufgel with sundried tomato cream cheese. Only 42 of these beauties are made every day and they sell out almost immediately.
Sushi donuts
So sushi donuts are now a thing. No, we’re not talking about a chocolate-covered, deep fried salmon and avocado roll. A sushi donut is simply sushi ingredients fashioned into the shape of a donut. Created by food blogger Sam Murphy (aka So Beautifully Raw), these delicious works of art are made by moulding cooled sushi rice decorated with ingredients including black sesame, wasabi, ginger, avocado and cashew mayo.
Extreme milkshakes
They may have been around for a while but there’s no letup in the popularity of the monster milkshake phenomenon. Among those leading the charge is Patissez, a café in Australia’s capital of Canberra, which offers massive milkshakes nicknamed ‘The Freakshow’ about the same size as your head. They include the Pretzella, a concoction featuring Nutella, salty pretzels and lashings of cream. Another restaurant making waves for its freaky milkshakes is Black Tap in New York City. If the usual lashings of cream, brownies, ice cream and biscuits aren’t enough for you, you can grab one of their creations topped with fireworks.
The pizza box pizza
The name is self-explanatory really. Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York sells pizza in a pizza box made entirely out of pizza. As Vinnie’s said on its Instagram page, it means: “No more pizza boxes cluttering up your fridge or trash. Totally PIEodegradable.” Delicious and convenient!
The Conechurro
If you’re tired of boring ice cream cones, the Conechurro will take your ice cream experience to a whole new level. Created by popular New York dessert shop ChikaLicious, this mouth-watering creation is an ice cream cone made of crunchy churro dough. You can get your churro cone in a variety of flavours including cinnamon streusel and caramel, sprinkles and chocolate and raspberry. The cone has the flakiness of a croissant with the crunch of an ice cream cone. Step aside ice cream, it’s the cone’s time to bask in the limelight now.
The light bulb
First it was mason jars, then it was wooden boards. Now it’s the light bulb’s turn to become the latest household item for hipsters to drink or eat from. Lights bulbs are becoming the drinking vessel of choice with bars now serving cocktails, coffee, juices and more in them. Chomp Eatery in Santa Monica is one café jumping on the trend, serving up cold pressed juices and organic lemonades in Thomas Edison’s most famous creation.
Raclette
Cheese lovers rejoice. There is a heaven and it’s known as Raclette. A restaurant aptly called Raclette NYC offers a Swiss dish in which a semi-hard milk cheese wheel is melted and scraped off right on to your plate and across your roasted vegetables and charcuterie. The restaurant’s entire menu is dedicated to cheese, including a range of tarts and grilled cheese toasties. This really is a cheese lover’s fantasy come true.
Fairy bread
If you’re Australian, you grew up on this stuff and it was a staple at every kid’s birthday party just as much as Pass the Parcel, Pin the Tail on the Donkey and ear-piercing tantrums. For the uninitiated, yes, this really is just sliced white bread spread with margarine or butter and covered with sprinkles (or “hundreds and thousands” if you’re an Aussie), but it’s taken the internet by storm. Fairy bread has such a following that it even has its own Facebook page currently boasting over 600,000 fans. You can become the next enthusiast at Fans of Fairy Bread.
