Food trend spotters around the nation have been trying to peg the 2011 food fashions. Every article differs on specific dishes, but it all boils down to five buzz words you need to know: ethnic, local, artisan, minimal and sustainable.

Ethnic

As Tyler Cowne says, “all food is ethnic food.” But in 2011, expect to see a wide array of foods with names you can’t pronounce and flavors that might be new to you. New York and LA have been on the bandwagon for some time, but DC is just starting to discover flavors beyond Continental, Tex-Mex, and Pan-Asian. The biggest push is going to be for tacos that are anything but Latin and also expect to see a lot of flavors from SouthEast Asia (beyond Thai!), and other Asian cuisine such as Korean BBQ and fried chicken.