Food is part of our lives. We celebrate with food. We mourn with food. Every decade there's a "food trend" that will define that generation.

1970's 

The Fondue

Dining in the 1970's involves a lot of "communal" dishes and fondue is one of them. Those pots signified community and sharing and of course, a lot of dinner parties back in the day. You can combine dips with just about everything - chocolate with marshmallows, beef with cheese.

Quiche

Americans fell in love with this recipe by Julia Child. It's easy to prepare and quite inexpensive.

1980's

Blackened Fish

Introduced by a Southern chef, Paul Prudhomme, at K-Paul Louisiana Kitchen, the Blackened Fish marked the beginning of an era. Chefs from across the country tried to imitate it. They've used different kind of meats - from chicken to chops. Prudhomme launched a "line of seasonings" so that anyone can try to cook the blackened fish.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Something about its crispiness and crunchiness made the Chinese chicken salad a phenomenon in the 1980's. The salad is a combination of raw cabbage, snow peas, sesame seeds and of course, chicken.

1990's

The Flavored Mashed Potatoes

This is an era where people decided that it is time to dress up America's staple dish - the mashed potatoes. They stuff it with just about everything - lobster, garlic, wasabi, and meat.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Who can forget this very sinful dessert? It put Jean-Georges Vongerichten's name on the map. This flourless chocolate cake with melted chocolate on the center was the talk of the town back then. Every restaurant has it's own version of the dessert.

2000's

Gourmet Burger

The burger was transformed during this era, when suddenly people realized that they can put just about anything in between those buns. This is truly a great innovation when it comes to food.

Cupcakes

Well, we have Sex in the City to thank for the cupcake revolution. Cupcakes are now the new cakes. You can see cupcakes at weddings and birthday parties.