Kebabs to be a Big Hit in 2012

Getting kids to try new healthier foods is always in vogue. Find out why kebabs can help achieve this.

The Lempert Report recently released the 2012 Food Trends, but here is another trend we think is worth the time, kebabs, especially in the effort to get kids to try different nutritious foods.
 
Making food exciting is something most cooks and chefs try to achieve, but most of the time it’s sophisticated plating and interesting exotic tastes – which are not that exciting for many people especially kids. What is exciting for both kids and adults is actually food on a stick! There is something inherently entertaining, goofy, and fun about perching food on a stick, a practice that was born of necessity.
 
Matt Armendariz, author of On a Stick points out, “Long before the invention of kitchen utensils, people were grilling over an open fire, using branches to warm and roast food. This cooking method appears in the writings of the ancient Greeks and virtually all cultures since have offered their own version of food on a stick.”
 
Some great options for kebabs include, fruit – skewer pineapple, orange slices, grapes, strawberries, and melon balls – any fruit that won’t oxidize after it’s cut will work. Chicken or turkey sliced thick with grapes, celery and a small chunk of cheese would also be fun. You can even make a sandwich on a stick with whole grain bread, nitrate-free deli-meat, cherry tomatoes, butter lettuce and homemade mayo (on the side). This makes eating a lot more interesting for kids.
 
Even fine foods and sweets can be served up on a stick. Try cheese cake dipped in chocolate, a deep fried snickers, marshmallows dipped in whatever you can think of, a banana on a stick, chicken on a sick, lollipop wings, and the Japanese tradition of izakaya - meats are skewered grilled and served up on a stick. Shrimp can be skewered on sugar cane, while the combination of lemongrass and beef can also be served up in a lollipop form 
 
Serving all types of cold kebabs especially geared towards kids can encourage them to eat healthier and try new foods, both of which our country so desperately needs.