Before yesterday, whenever you said "pumpkin spice" or "oat milk" in a sentence, you weren't speaking real words. At least not according to Merriam-Webster, America's almost two-century-old gatekeeper of the English language. On Wednesday, those phrases, along with 368 others, were officially added to the dictionary. Nine terms on that list-which delightfully includes "yeet" and "janky"-are food-related.
To decide what makes the cut, Merriam-Webster editors monitor social media, national newspapers, and big media sites, according to an explainer from the dictionary. Sure, they're just words. But they're also mirrors to our cultural fascinations. The addition of "sessionable" speaks to a boom in low-alcohol drinks while "plant-based" speaks to.everyone on the West Coast. And terms like "ras el hanout" and "mojo" represent a diner-driven shift towards ancestral cooking.
Here's the full list of phrases, and some recipes to cook up at home.
The definition: "A mixture of usually cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and often allspice that is commonly used in pumpkin pie."
The scoop: All I can say here is: Starbucks dunnit. Since the drink's inception in 2003, the coffee chain's unctuous, harmless, and dare we say delicious pumpkin spice latte has iconized the spice blend and turned it into a curious cultural phenomenon. Both a comfort beverage and an emblem of our anxieties around capitalism, this seasonal frenemy is here to stay.
The recipes: Channel your inner autumnal earth angel and bake a batch of toasty, buttery, and pumpkin-spiced chocolate chip cookies. Go the extra mile and dunk them in a homemade (gasp) pumpkin spice latte.
The definition: "A series of small servings or courses (as of sushi) offered at a fixed price and whose selection is left to the chef's discretion."
The scoop: America's high-end sushi scene has, to use an objective metric, blown up over the past decade. And omakase, the style of sushi chef-guided tasting menus popularized in the 2013 cult film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, has become a top prize for the dining elite (by which I mean the bros).
The recipes: If a $500-per-person omakase experience feels like a stretch in this economy, try making your own at home. Think: spicy tuna rolls, umeboshi-stuffed onigiri, and omusubi with salty, buttery mushrooms.
The definition: "A mixture of ground spices that is used in northern African cooking and includes coriander, ginger, turmeric, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, and other spices."
The scoop: According to Pinterest's 2022 trend report, ancestral foods-basically, "somebody's grandparent's recipe," as the site clarifies-are outpacing over-the-top dining experiences. And in 2019, the site allegedly reported a 311% increase in searches for African recipes. Lucky for us, a proliferation of direct-to-consumer American spice companies means getting your hands on some ras el hanout has never been easier.
The recipes: Or, make your own ras el hanout spice blend and then use it in this warm salad. It's got all the textures: crisp, raw broccoli; chewy, sticky dates; and crunchy, toasted pistachios. And the ras el hanout adds a smoky depth to the bright citrusy dressing.
The definition: "A sauce, marinade, or seasoning that is usually composed primarily of olive oil, garlic, citrus juice, and spices (such as black pepper and cumin)."
The scoop: This zippy sauce speaks to the proliferation of Cuban cuisine in the United States. US-based search interest in the term "Cuban mojo" has been rising steadily since 2007, according to Google Trends. The 2014 feel-good movie, Chef, in which Jon Favreau quits his job to sell mojo pork-stuffed Cubanos out of a food truck, helped the cuisine explode at restaurants around the country.
The recipes: Make a vat of this chile- and garlic-packed Cuban sauce and put it on just about everything. Also, these mojo-inspired meatballs are a fun weeknight savior.
The definition: "A Mexican dish of stewed meat seasoned especially with chili peppers."
The scoop: The birria taco boom is upon us. Building over the last decade, it can be largely traced to two Mexican-Americans: Teddy Vasquez and Omar Gonzalez, who met as teenagers in Puebla and later went on to sell the dish stateside. A recent social media study also found the chile-laden stew is one of the top five foods in the world, reaching an annual Google search volume of 11.2 million between June 2020 and April 2021.
The recipes: These goat birria tacos are a bit of a project but worth the effort. The excellent news is that the recipe makes a big batch, which means you'll be eating tender bites of meat and lime-drenched cucumber pico de gallo all week. For a big braise you can pretty much set and forget, try this recipe with goat or lamb.
The definition: "A liquid made from ground oats and water that is usually fortified (as with calcium and vitamins) and used as a milk substitute."
The scoop: Cool, creamy oat has won the alt-milk wars, trumping water-sucking almond and controversial soy. While nondairy milks have been steadily on the rise for the past decade, the arrival of Swedish brand Oatly's iconic blue cartons to US retailers and coffee chains in 2016 marked a new reign. The numbers don't lie: Oat milk's market share is only projected to grow.
The recipes: Acquiring this alt-dairy beverage has become laughably easy. So is making it. With two ingredients and a blender, you can whiz up the creamiest oat milk at home.
The description: "Having a light body and a lower-than-average percentage of alcohol."
The scoop: Over the past few years, Big Alcohol has had to come to terms with the sobering fact that we just aren't boozing as hard as we used to. What the people want, in lieu of getting wasted, are lower proof bevs they can comfortably drink in multiples-and cheeky old Merriam-Webster knows it. I blame White Claw.
The recipes: Fuel your sessions with lower alcohol cocktails like this pretty Rosé Spritzer, the platonically tart Nacho Vidal, and a minty South Side.
The description: "1. Made or derived from plants; 2. consisting primarily or entirely of food (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, and beans) derived from plants."
The scoop: Culturally, the word evokes worn out Birkenstocks, cheese made from cashews, and a starring role on Portlandia. Culinarily, it's been used for years to describe diets and dishes that mostly don't contain anything with a face-and to quell the anxieties of omnivores who couldn't stomach seeing "vegan" on their menus. It's a popular term amongst those who are betting on the vegetable kingdom to avert the climate crisis, heal us of sickness, and save the world.
The recipes: Carrot-stuffed tamales, creamy sesame noodles, and avocado-topped arepas are all the proof you need that plants are delicious.
The definition: "A usually spicy sandwich in Vietnamese cuisine consisting of a split baguette filled typically with meat (such as pork or chicken) and pickled vegetables (such as carrot and daikon) and garnished with cilantro and often cucumbers."
The scoop: Made from French staples and Vietnamese sensibilities, this iconic baguette sandwich is a child of colonialism. After the Vietnam War, the sandwich traveled from Saigon to California and then throughout the rest of the country. These days, every major city in the US has a banh mi shop-and US search interest in the sandwich has skyrocketed in the past two decades, according to Google Trends.
The recipe: For excellent banh mi at home, make this pork meatball-filled sandwich with hot chile mayo, plenty of grated vegetables, and all the herbs.