Banana bread wasn’t the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed.

We think you’ll join us in bidding good riddance to this absolute mess of a year we call 2020. It’s brought with it a whole host of unwelcome events and challenges, forcing billions around the world to hunker down at home, with just roommates and Netflix for company.

But out of the chaos rose some culinary heroes, bringing glimmers of light to our seemingly endless hours spent indoors. From wholesome fruit loaves to group bake-offs, here are some of the foodie fads that helped us through 2020.

2020陪伴我们的不止是室友和连续剧，疫情下的生活也有许多闪光时刻，这也都多亏了美食！从水果面包到烘焙课，让我们细数2020的美食风潮。

Banana Bread 

香蕉面包

The unofficial mascot of coronavirus lockdown has to be the humble banana bread. Come April 2020, you’d have done well to scroll through social media without spotting a loaf of the stuff, as the smell of freshly baked cake wafted through millions of kitchens. In fact, banana bread’s popularity shot up so much this year that searches for it reached an all time high since Google Trends started tracking back in 2004. Psychologists believe the reason for its popularity is the food’s simple recipe and nostalgic vibe (combined with people over-shopping and being left with overripe bananas) are what helped banana bread become this year’s star baked good.

疫情下非官方吉祥物定是不起眼的香蕉面包。2020年4月，新鲜出炉的蛋糕香味在数百万个厨房中飘散。实际上香蕉面包在今年的受欢迎程度猛增，以至于自2004年开始追踪Google趋势以来，香蕉面包的搜索量达到了历史新高。心理学家认为该食物简单易制及怀旧作用（主要是买多了）是香蕉面包成为本年度明星产品的原因。

Dalgona Coffee 

手打咖啡

Hot on the trail of banana bread was dalgona coffee – a concoction made by whipping instant coffee, sugar and hot water together, and layering the frothy liquid over a glass of warm or iced milk. The beverage first found fame in South Korea, where videos of people making their own homemade dalgona coffee went viral on YouTube and TikTok. While the drink’s roots lie in an Indian type of ‘beaten coffee’, dalgona coffee is now a feature on many café menus across South Korea – keep an eye out for it popping up elsewhere in 2021.

泡沫（手打）咖啡是将速溶咖啡、糖和热水一起搅打，然后将泡沫铺热牛奶或冰牛奶上制成的。这种饮品在韩国非常火爆，在TikTok上人们制作自己的自制手打咖啡的视频广为流传。虽然这种饮品来源于印度的“搅拌咖啡”，但如今手打咖啡已成为韩国许多咖啡店的特色菜品，它势必在2021年火出韩国。

Homemade Pasta 

自制意面

The beginning of the pandemic saw shoppers in many countries panic buying ahead of lockdowns and quarantines. As a long-lasting (and of course delicious) staple, pasta was one of the first things to fly off the shelves. Although eggs and flour were also in short supply, many who managed to nab some took pasta-making into their own hands, creating their own version of the much-loved Italian (or Chinese, depending on who you believe) dish.

疫情开始时，许多国家的购物者在封锁和隔离之前就出现了恐慌性购买。作为一种保存期长（且美味）的主食，面食是首批被抢空的东西之一。尽管鸡蛋和面粉也供不应求，但有更多的人已没有手去抢了，都选择自制意大利菜（或做成了中国菜，自由发挥罢了）。

Breakfast 

早餐

I know what you’re thinking – breakfast existed before 2020. And you are of course correct. However, with many people working from home for most of the year, they’ve had plenty more time to devote to the most important meal of the day. Rather than a granola bar or a croissant wolfed down on the way to work, breakfast has been given the respect it deserves, with homemade sourdough sandwiches, fry-ups and of course, banana bread all becoming a more popular part of the morning routine.

Virtual Cooking Classes 

虚拟烹饪课程

Once the novelty of ‘yet another virtual pub quiz’ calmed down, people started looking for other ways of bonding with friends, colleagues and even dates over Zoom. Virtual cooking classes proved a popular pastime for many, with work team lunches, restaurant demonstrations and even celebrity chef cook-along sessions becoming regular features on the 2020 calendar. And if something didn’t quite go to plan in the kitchen – at least there weren’t any dinner guests round to politely pretend your food tasted great.

有了虚拟酒吧，人们就开始寻找方式与朋友、同事甚至恋人进行虚拟约会。虚拟烹饪课程也成为了许多人的消遣方式，工作餐、餐厅示范甚至明星厨师的烹饪课都成为了2020年日历的常用模块。而且，如果厨房里没有也没有，也不会有客人来假装你的食物很好吃。