August 11, 2026 – Ann is in OurLittleCorner today
And the Answer Is…
Cabbage.
And what is the question? Well…something like “what’s a trendy ingredient at the moment?”
Honestly, I have trouble wrapping my head around cabbage being trendy, but after doing an hour or so of Googling 2026 trendy foods and ingredients, I can verify that cabbage came up a lot. For example, in January Vogue published an article entitled “2026 Is the Year of the Cabbage: Meet the Most Underrated Leafy Green.” Wow.
Even before 2026 (“The Year of the Cabbage”), the NYTimes ran an article about London’s sexiest “produce star” being Hispi cabbage (aka Pointed, Sweetheart, or Conehead cabbage).
Why is cabbage trending? Well, if you’re “fibermaxxing,” it’s high in fiber. It has Vitamins C and K. If you’re on a tight budget (aren’t we all?), it’s budget friendly. If you’re enjoying diversity in your cooking (think kimchi, sauerkraut, okonomiyaki, rødkål, repollo guisado), it offers that. Plus, depending on your recipe, it has very few calories.
Before I reveal today’s trendy cabbage recipe, let me give you a little trendy food quiz. Out of the following 12 food items, which 5 are often considered “in” for 2026 and which 7 are generally considered “out” – or passé ? The answer appears below the cabbage recipe.
- boy kibble
- sun-dried tomatoes
- aioli
- salted caramel (“swalty”…sweet and salty)
- avocado toast
- brussels sprouts
- cottage cheese
- oat milk
- black sesame seeds
- kale
- ube
- bacon
If you’re wondering what got me started on this trending theme, it’s a funny article I read in the March 3, 2023, New Yorker Magazine: A Support Group for Former Trendy Foods. If you can’t open that, here’s our pdf file of the article. Enjoy. Smile.
Grilled Cabbage with Thai Sauce
- 1/4 c lime juice (from about 3 limes)
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 1 T fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 c cilantro, chopped fine
- 1/2 tsp Diamond kosher salt (plus a tad more for salting the cabbage)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 head cabbage (I prefer Savoy cabbage for this recipe; green or red cabbage will work – but may require a longer grilling time)
- Olive oil or Sunflower Seed oil
- Lime wedges, for serving
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to direct, high heat.
Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne, and sugar until well blended.
Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, and cut into 8 wedges, leaving the inner core. Brush the wedges all over with oil and lightly salt.
Place the wedges on the grill. Cover and grill until the edges of each layer are blackened and the cabbage is beginning to soften, 5 to 7 minutes per side. The cabbage is ready when it is beginning to wilt, but is still firm in the middle. If you want the cabbage totally soft, turn the heat down or move the wedges to a cooler part of the grill, cover, and cook a little longer. Lots of grill marks on the cabbage give it a nice smoky flavor.
Transfer the cabbage wedges to a serving platter. Pour the dressing over the wedges and serve immediately, with wedges of lime to garnish.
Answers to the food quiz:
What’s in? boy kibble, salted caramel, cottage cheese, black sesame seeds, ube (which is a purple yam from the Phillipines)
What’s out? sun-dried tomatoes, aioli, avocado toast, brussels sprouts, oat milk, kale, bacon
My easy recipe for a one-pot meal featuring cabbage is really tasty. It’s like spaghetti, but with cabbage instead of pasta. Brown a pound of ground beef (or turkey)(a TVP could work) in a large pot. Then add only salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend (and whatever else seems apt)(some green chili is nice), shredded cabbage (about a half head,), and tomato paste (about 12 oz). The cabbage will release enough water to thin the paste… it needs only a little if you don’t want soup. Put a lid on the pot and simmer until cabbage is tender.
Thanks for the cabbage idea; something that is not intuitively obvious but intriguing. It’s definitely going in our to-do file.