How do you measure a year? In cups of coffee, yes, but also in the rushed early-morning breakfasts, the many trips to the grocery store, the slow dinners spent with friends. Each tells a story of how we filled our days.

Some of this year’s food preferences reflect how Americans’ lives have changed. As my colleague Yasmin Tayag explained in May, diners serving the classic American breakfast—eggs, potatoes, and coffee—were once a staple of affordability. Now, as supply shortages and tariffs affect these foods, stepping out for breakfast “can require a level of budgeting once reserved for fancy brunch.”

It’s not just prices that have changed; so, too, have Americans’ taste preferences. In August, Ellen Cushing wrote about how food is becoming spicier. More than half of American consumers are likely to buy an item described as spicy—up from 39 percent in 2015, she reported. Then there are the fried-chicken sandwiches. Consumption has increased 19 percent at American restaurants, threatening the burger’s long-held dominance.

Today’s newsletter explores how to understand the food that Americans ate this year.

On Food

Breakfast Is Breaking

By Yasmin Tayag

The classic American version hasn’t changed much in a century. Now it faces an identity crisis.

Read the article.

Why Is Everything Spicy Now?

By Ellen Cushing

More Americans are setting their mouth on fire—for extreme sport, and for everyday thrills.

Read the article.

The Worst Sandwich Is Back

By Ellen Cushing

Wraps are popular again. So is a certain kind of physique.

Read the article.

Still Curious?

The golden age of the fried-chicken sandwich: The sun is setting on burger dominance, Ellen Cushing writes. Read the article.
Now is not the time to eat bagged lettuce: Food safety in America is under attack, Nicholas Florko reported in the spring. Read the article.

Other Diversions

About the Author

Grace Buono

Grace Buono is an assistant editor at The Atlantic.

Explore More Topics

coffee

","freeContentEncoded","textContent","published","strategy","curl-ready","locked","deletedAt","isSyncedFromOwnBlog","original","duplicatesCount","duplicateVersion","originalArticleId","errorsCount","appearance","color","backgroundColor","shortSummary","A look at the year's food trends, from changing breakfast costs to a rise in spicy foods and the popularity of fried-chicken sandwiches.","summary","Americans' food preferences this year reflect significant shifts in their lives. The classic American breakfast, once a symbol of affordability, now requires more budgeting due to rising prices and supply chain issues. Taste preferences have also evolved, with a notable increase in the consumption of spicy foods and a surge in the popularity of fried-chicken sandwiches, challenging the dominance of burgers.","bullets",[285,286,287,288,289],"The classic American breakfast faces an identity crisis due to increased costs.","More than half of American consumers are likely to buy spicy items, an increase from 2015.","Consumption of fried-chicken sandwiches has increased by 19 percent at American restaurants.","Food safety in America has been under attack.","Wraps and a certain physique are also seeing renewed popularity.","persons",[292,293,294,295,296],"Yasmin Tayag","Ellen Cushing","Nicholas Florko","Anne Applebaum","Grace Buono","places",[299,300],"America","Venice","words",295,"sentiment",0.5,"subject","health","meta",{"_309":310,"_311":312,"_340":321},"type","bee:get-index-of-articles","schedule",{"_27":313,"_51":-5,"_314":315,"_80":-5,"_316":317,"_318":319,"_320":321,"_322":86,"_83":84,"_305":39,"_323":-5,"_324":84,"_266":267,"_325":326,"_53":326,"_327":328,"_329":86,"_330":331,"_55":326,"_332":84,"_82":120,"_333":334,"_335":-5,"_336":337,"_338":-5,"_339":-5},"e3d35f69-ea7f-42b4-bf9b-7b5139cb0abc","npub","npub13dhektgqh58xmgs8rga7elndr37jfy2x7qyrwt0ex0f9g0wakaqsy5ukzz","jobId","2a213dcd-950c-4fa7-809c-c822d6bac39a","order",1,"rssUrl","https://www.theatlantic.com/world/","system","userRef","autosign","syncedAt","2025-12-15T19:29:27.600Z","frequency","daily","isOwnBlog","nextRunAt","2025-12-27T19:30:08.345Z","autopublish","sourceVariant","rss","systemVariant","scheduleVariant","scraping-bee-classic-proxy","retryArticlesIds","ownershipConfirmedAt","dataSourceUrl","eventId","b87afb8a4db8886a0ae5f817022b6630a5cd1d5c4e67a25612f50434955ecc55","nostrRootEvent","event",{"_27":342,"_346":347,"_137":319,"_80":348,"_360":359,"_259":361,"_362":363},"sig","dc5fa316ae83fa0a61d83e1be1762085e5d1d6fdc35e3a206ee97beeabb080b9c5f8a1581cf91c136e29687a716f241318fa38b5a7667166d403f7c2e7704b93",[349,350,351,355,358],[305,245],[44,252],[352,353,39,354],"a","30023:8b6f9b2d00bd0e6da2071a3becfe6d1c7d249146f008372df933d2543dddb741:ff688241-0c94-43a3-8cfd-344368f2ef3e","mention",[356,357],"client","Layer3.press",[140,359,39],"8b6f9b2d00bd0e6da2071a3becfe6d1c7d249146f008372df933d2543dddb741","pubkey","The Year in Food\nHow prices, tastes, and preferences changed in 2025\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpzm0nvksp0gwdk3qwx3manlx68rayjg5duqgxukljv7j2s7amd6pqqjxve3k8qurydp395cxxwf5956rxcfn95uxxeny95engdpnxcuxvvn9vcek2aayjnv ","created_at",1766863841,"authorNPub","markdown","How do you measure a year? In cups of coffee, yes, but also in the rushed early-morning breakfasts, the many trips to the grocery store, the slow dinners spent with friends. Each tells a story of how we filled our days.\n\nSome of this year’s food preferences reflect how Americans’ lives have changed. As my colleague Yasmin Tayag explained in May, diners serving the classic American breakfast—eggs, potatoes, and coffee—were once a staple of affordability. Now, as supply shortages and tariffs affect these foods, stepping out for breakfast “can require a level of budgeting once reserved for fancy brunch.”\n\nIt’s not just prices that have changed; so, too, have Americans’ taste preferences. In August, Ellen Cushing wrote about how food is becoming spicier. More than half of American consumers are likely to buy an item described as spicy—up from 39 percent in 2015, she reported. Then there are the fried-chicken sandwiches. Consumption has increased 19 percent at American restaurants, threatening the burger’s long-held dominance.\n\nToday’s newsletter explores how to understand the food that Americans ate this year.\n\n### On Food\n\n#### Breakfast Is Breaking\n\nBy Yasmin Tayag\n\n> The classic American version hasn’t changed much in a century. Now it faces an identity crisis.\n\n[Read the article.](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/05/american-breakfast-eggs-tariffs/682700/)\n\n#### Why Is Everything Spicy Now?\n\nBy Ellen Cushing\n\n> More Americans are setting their mouth on fire—for extreme sport, and for everyday thrills.\n\n[Read the article.](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/08/spicy-food-american/683884/)\n\n#### The Worst Sandwich Is Back\n\nBy Ellen Cushing\n\n> Wraps are popular again. So is a certain kind of physique.\n\n[Read the article.](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2025/06/wrap-food-return/683311/)\n\n### Still Curious?\n\n* **The golden age of the fried-chicken sandwich**: The sun is setting on burger dominance, Ellen Cushing writes. [Read the article.](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/06/fried-chicken-sandwich-food-culture/682618/)\n \n* **Now is not the time to eat bagged lettuce**: Food safety in America is under attack, Nicholas Florko reported in the spring. [Read the article.](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/05/bagged-romaine-lettuce-food-safety/682734/)\n \n\n### Other Diversions\n\n* [Anne Applebaum: A peek at an alternate Venice](https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/12/writers-way-venice-henry-james-travel/685139/)\n \n* [The 20 best podcasts of 2025](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/20-best-podcasts-2025/685010/)\n \n* [AI is democratizing music. Unfortunately.](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025/12/ai-music-suno-warner-bros/685331/)\n \n\n### About the Author\n\n![](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/MJsXgWO3Jg8hI-bBwp1qDhUVnXY=/1526x578:4522x3574/120x120/media/img/authors/2024/12/DSC_2082/original.jpg)\n\n#### [Grace Buono](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/grace-buono/)\n\nGrace Buono is an assistant editor at _The Atlantic_.\n\n#### Explore More Topics\n\n[coffee](https://www.theatlantic.com/tag/general/coffee/)","freeMarkdown","kind1EventId","kind30023EventId","925e99852b5ba112768252f685d219d55e5cce433d71fe59ebbb7034e76aec5c","kind30023",{"_27":370,"_346":373,"_137":374,"_80":375,"_360":359,"_259":389,"_362":363},"f926f0cea978a239fc2622fb60bf91823ab94bd02a9e2aa43ec99cb4c431443e1c8204fcb933194c78ea1fa7bcc61ee3dc3e43f4980fef11200a5065bee0a678",30023,[376,379,380,383,384,386,387,388],[377,378],"r","https://news.layer3.press/articles/ff688241-0c94-43a3-8cfd-344368f2ef3e",[40,245],[381,382],"published_at","1766840400",[44,252],[385,240],"d",[281,246],[356,357],[140,359,39],"The Year in Food\nAmericans' food preferences this year reflect significant shifts in their lives. The classic American breakfast, once a symbol of affordability, now requires more budgeting due to rising prices and supply chain issues. Taste preferences have also evolved, with a notable increase in the consumption of spicy foods and a surge in the popularity of fried-chicken sandwiches, challenging the dominance of burgers.\n - The classic American breakfast faces an identity crisis due to increased costs.\n - More than half of American consumers are likely to buy spicy items, an increase from 2015.\n - Consumption of fried-chicken sandwiches has increased by 19 percent at American restaurants.\n - Food safety in America has been under attack.\n - Wraps and a certain physique are also seeing renewed popularity.\n","publishedToNostr","htmlContentKind30023","

Today’s newsletter explores how to understand the food that Americans ate this year.

On Food

Breakfast Is Breaking

By Yasmin Tayag

\n
The classic American version hasn’t changed much in a century. Now it faces an identity crisis.
\n

Read the article.

Why Is Everything Spicy Now?

By Ellen Cushing

\n
More Americans are setting their mouth on fire—for extreme sport, and for everyday thrills.
\n

Read the article.

The Worst Sandwich Is Back

By Ellen Cushing

\n
Wraps are popular again. So is a certain kind of physique.
\n

Read the article.

Still Curious?

\n
The golden age of the fried-chicken sandwich: The sun is setting on burger dominance, Ellen Cushing writes. Read the article.
\n
\n
Now is not the time to eat bagged lettuce: Food safety in America is under attack, Nicholas Florko reported in the spring. Read the article.
\n

Other Diversions

\n
Anne Applebaum: A peek at an alternate Venice
\n
\n
The 20 best podcasts of 2025
\n
\n
AI is democratizing music. Unfortunately.
\n

About the Author

$\"\"$

Grace Buono

Grace Buono is an assistant editor at The Atlantic.

Explore More Topics

coffee

","pubDate","2025-12-27T13:00:00.000Z","modifiedAt","2025-12-27T13:00:56.000Z","2025-12-27T19:30:41.902Z","2025-12-27T19:31:22.994Z","storyId","likes","zaps","reposts","comments","tweets",[],"relatedArticles",[],"actionData","errors"]