It's Never Too Late To Whip Up The Trendiest Recipes Of 2021

Not long ago, we hunched over our Takeout-branded crystal ball (it's like a regular crystal ball, but caked in mashed potatoes) to predict the future. Specifically, 2022's top food trends. No, we're not psychics—we based many of our predictions on the 2021 trends we saw come and go. And now, Google has released its annual "Year in Search" data, which includes a list of "top trending recipes" that performed well in the United States this year. Unsurprisingly, a lot of our picks made the list.

A quick note: These aren't necessarily Google's most-searched items. A Google spokesperson explained via email that the data "reflects top trending searches." In other words, these are the search terms that showed a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2021 as compared to 2020. For example, you'll see "Squid Game cookie" on the list. That's not because dalgona candy was one of Google's most-searched items; rather, the term "Squid Game cookie" saw a huge spike in traffic after the Netflix show's release earlier this year.

Without further ado, here are the recipes:

• TikTok pasta
• Bacon jam
• Birria tacos
• Crockpot chicken
• Hamantaschen
• Squid Game cookie (Note: the umbrella-shaped treat in Squid Game is actually not a cookie—it's dalgona candy)
• Baked oats (not to be confused with sweet, sad Cream of Wheat)
• Cicada (not "cicado taco" or "cicada burger"—just "cicada")
• Gigi Hadid pasta
• Smashed potatoes

If you ask me, this data is simply setting the scene for another year full of eating bugs, making viral pasta recipes, and basking in birria. If you look back at our list of 2022 trend predictions, we included celebrity-forward food (Gigi Hadid pasta!), interactive/entertainment-inspired food (dalgona candy!), and environmentally friendly food (cicadas as a major protein source!). Because we're guessing that a lot of these trends have staying power.

But while we've whipped up recipes for a lot of these trendy foods already, we're always wondering what can be added to our archives. With that in mind, we'll ask: Have we neglected to publish your favorite trendy recipe on The Takeout? If so, hit us with a comment and we'll do our best to cater to your cravings in 2022.