American food trends show shift toward regional and heritage dishes

American food trends for 2026 show a shift in consumer interest from mainstream staples toward regional and heritage dishes. While sandwiches, burgers, ice cream, soup, and mac and cheese remain the most discussed items on social media, all five have seen a decline in share compared to the previous year. Notably, cheeseburger discussions dropped by 20%, and milkshakes fell by 16%.

Growth is increasingly driven by smaller regional specialties and cultural cuisines. Fish fry is seeing a 5% increase in social media mentions, and New England clam chowder and chicken fried steak are gaining momentum. Within soul food, dirty rice has seen a 63% rise, while fried chicken has declined by 19%. Additionally, Indigenous ingredients like hominy and masa harina are trending upward, with hominy seeing a 59% increase.

Regional fried foods also maintain deep cultural roots. Examples include Wisconsin fried cheese curds, New England whole-belly fried clams, Indiana breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches, and fried dill pickles in Mississippi.