29 Foods That Aren’t Worth Their Hype And Price, According To People Online

As you can see from this list, there are many food items and meals people view as overhyped and overly expensive. To talk about it, Bored Panda got in touch with culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi.

She told us that some of the reasons why a lot of foods are becoming very costly are Slow Food labeling and EU certification. For example, certain kinds of onions used to be considered food for the poor, but now cost €1 a piece.

She added, "I understand that there is a protective purpose behind such programs, but it has an impact on food prices. And because you can charge more for DOP (POD) foods, there is a good deal of falsification. This requires certifiers to continue verification, and they can't catch everything."

Today's list includes specific stuff like caviar, avocado, or more abstract ones, like anything that internet meme persona Salt Bae serves. 

Our interviewee said that in her opinion ancient grains are overrated. "Anyone who knows the history of cereals, or anything about their cultivation, simply shakes their head incredulously at the whole ancient grain fad."

Another interesting and, in netizens’ eyes, overhyped food item that appeared on this list was gold flakes or edible gold. Basically, it’s not as much a food item as it is a food additive that is used to make meals more extravagant. 

While edible gold is safe to eat, it has no nutritional value or health benefits. The purity of it must be 23–24 karats, and if it's above that, it might contain other metals that can be toxic if consumed. 

And since it’s gold, it is quite costly. So, it’s no surprise it ended up on this list, since basically, it's something expensive you add to food, but it doesn’t enhance its nutritional value or taste. Yet, enhancing food appearance is a trend that makes it worth it for people to spend extensive amounts of money on such things as edible gold.

Speaking of food trends, we like to throw the “trend” word around without actually thinking about what it means and if the thing we give the trend crown to is actually a trend or just a fad. 

Fads are things whose popularity rises quickly and falls just as fast. To look at it from a food popularity perspective, fads typically rise from social or any other kind of media’s attention. Like a product or an ingredient shouted out by a TV chef or social media influencer basically out of nowhere, which then gets sold out and quickly forgotten about by the majority of the public. 

At the same time, trends are a bit more stable form of popularity. Usually, they evolve more gradually, are more long-lasting, and can even lead to a change in the culture.

Again, let’s look at it from a food perspective. Adding salty flavor to sweet foods, or as some apparently call it, swicy, is a trend that developed over the years. People were exposed to it in various ways – for example, with the rising popularity of swicy treats like salted caramel, sweet and salty popcorn, and many others, which became staples in the snack world. 

While as we acknowledge fads tend to be unpredictable, some trends can be predicted. The emphasis is on "some," as things sometimes happen that make certain trends happen without anyone thinking they would. Like with COVID-19 and its quarantine – no one really predicted it and what kind of food trends would become popular, like whipped coffee. 

And while some trends can become a new normal, some still can be viewed as excessive by some people, and this list is a perfect example of that. Yes, sometimes some food items or meals tend to get overhyped despite their mediocrity, while others get overrated for no apparent reason, but, well, to each their own, right? 

What foods do you think are overly expensive and overrated? Share with us in the comments!