2016 Food Throwback: This Is What The World Was Eating (And Posting)

Before minimalist cafés and wellness-toned plates took over our feeds, 2016 was a wild, vivid, unrestrained moment in food culture. It was the year when the internet dictated cravings, when colour outranked flavour, and when every week delivered a new edible spectacle. From molten salted egg buns to galaxy-glazed cakes and freakshakes that required engineering skills to assemble, 2016 was the era that merged food with fantasy.

And now, a decade later, everyone is joking that 2026 is actually 2016 in disguise. Scroll through your feed, and you can see why. The colours, the nostalgia, the maximalism, the obsession with playful food. It all feels eerily familiar. Maybe we never truly left that chaotic, candy-coloured year behind. Maybe we are simply circling back to the flavours that made food fun. Here is everything the world was eating when the rules didn’t matter and the internet had the final say.

1. Rainbow Maximalism 

2016 was the year of colour hysteria. Rainbow bagels in New York had queues snaking around blocks. Rainbow grilled cheese videos clocked millions of views. Unicorn toast ruled Instagram. The brighter and more artificial the gradient, the faster it went viral.

2. Cosmic Chaos In Desserts

Galaxy doughnuts, galaxy cakes and galaxy macarons were everywhere. Swirls of purple, blue and black glitter made desserts look more like art projects than pastries. Bakers spent the whole year trying to outdo each other’s cosmic creations.

3. Salted Egg Buns Became An Obsession

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The molten salted egg craze exploded across Singapore, Hong Kong and parts of India. Custard-filled baos, molten-centre croissants and dripping buns were the dessert flex of the year. Videos of the ooze alone were enough to make anything trend.

4. Ghost Peppers Ruled Spice Culture

2016 birthed spice challenges in their most chaotic form. Ghost pepper wings, ghost pepper noodles, ghost pepper sauces. Eating something impossibly spicy was a personality trait and an online sport. 

5. Korean Food Made Its Entry Into India

Before the K-pop wave took over everything, 2016 saw the first wave of Korean restaurants and cafés in major Indian cities. Kimchi, bibimbap and Korean fried chicken started appearing on menus. K-dramas nudged cravings long before the boom.

6. The World Caught Up To Haldi Milk

The world discovered haldi milk, renamed it turmeric latte and turned it into a wellness symbol. Suddenly, cafés in LA and London were whisking golden milk with coconut sugar and almond milk, claiming ancient healing benefits that Indian grandmothers shrugged at.

7. Raclette 

Melting a wheel of cheese and scraping it onto potatoes, burgers, or bread was the internet’s favourite form of seduction. Raclette videos accumulated millions of views. Street markets with raclette stalls became tourist destinations.

8. The Starbucks Pink Drink Became a Cultural Moment

What started as a secret-menu order turned into a worldwide obsession. The Pink Drink was photogenic, sweet, pastel and instantly shareable. It became the drink of Instagram summer 2016.

9. Freakshakes Broke Every Rule Of Dessert

Monstrous milkshakes topped with entire slices of cake, doughnuts, cookies, brownies and candy. Mason jars overflowing with sugar chaos. Freakshakes defined indulgence and excess. Every café wanted its own viral version.

10. Goila Butter Chicken Became A New-Age Classic

Saransh Goila’s smoky, restrained version of butter chicken captured Mumbai’s heart and then the country’s. It became the dish people debated, chased and recommended. 2016 was its breakout year.

11. Açaí Bowls Became The Poster Child Of “Clean Eating”

Purple, smoothie-like, fruit-loaded and photogenic. Açaí bowls were the wellness badge of honour. Every health café offered them granola, chia, nut butters and a hashtag.

12. Poke Bowls Took Over Lunchtime

Hawaiian poke went global. Customisable bowls with tuna, salmon, edamame, rice, avocado and sauces were an office-lunch revolution. Fresh, fast and pretty, poke became the trend every city adopted.

13. The Rise Of Café Culture

It was the year India truly embraced café culture beyond cappuccinos and wi-fi. Neighbourhood cafés multiplied in every major city, powered by community tables, all-day brunch menus, and the idea of “going out for coffee” as a lifestyle. Cold brews, flat whites, avocado toasts and dessert jars turned cafés into social currency. For young India, cafés became third spaces: part-workstation, part-friend-hangout, part-Instagram backdrop.

14. Molecular Gastronomy Entered The Chat

Thanks to chefs like Gaggan Anand shaping global conversation, molecular gastronomy trickled into Indian dining rooms. Suddenly, menus featured foams, spheres, edible soil, liquid nitrogen theatrics and deconstructed classics. Even mid-range restaurants flirted with test-kitchen techniques. Diners lined up for tableside smoke shows and dishes that looked nothing like the flavours they delivered.

15. Craft Beer Became a Movement

Microbreweries sprouted across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Gurgaon, ushering in a new era of drinking culture. Wheat beers, IPAs, stouts and citrusy ales replaced generic lagers. Brewpubs became weekend hubs, and tasting flights became a personality trait. It was the year India discovered the pleasure of fresh, locally brewed beer, a turning point that shaped the country’s pub scene for the next decade.

16. Food Trucks & Pop-Ups Became Cool

It was the year food trucks became a legitimate aspiration for young chefs. Cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune hosted food truck festivals. Pop-ups, Sunday markets and chef-collaborations became part of urban food life. People wanted to experience newer dining options, and food pop-ups were a great way to achieve that. They also helped the restaurants spread the word in other cities. A win-win for everyone.