Bloomberg: “Cauliflower is the New Kale”

A recent feature published by media outlet Bloomberg explored the booming popularity of cauliflower. Writer Claire Suddath points to the vegetable’s familiarity and versatility—used as a bread and meat replacement—as favorable qualities driving its popularity. Suddath described a convergence of trends—“low-carb, gluten-free, and healthful eating, which often means vegetarian”—to further explain cauliflower’s rise to the top. The vegetable’s meat-replacing properties were touted by chefs as a welcome addition to Meatless Mondays menus, such as the one served by New York chef Jason Weiner at his restaurant Almond. “Cauliflower is this blank slate,” Weiner told Suddath. “It has the ability to take on any flavor, kind of like chicken.” Weiner provided an anecdote to illustrate how much his customers love cauliflower, explaining that he once removed Buffalo Cauliflower from Almond’s menu, only to re-introduce it one week later after customers complained about its absence. A special report published by restaurant industry outlet Quick Service Restaurant Magazine in March postulated that meatless eating is no longer relegated to Mondays, stating that consumers have reached an era when “a charred whole cauliflower can turn as many heads in a dining room as a sizzling, bone-in ribeye.”