Ricotta is the new food trend of the Generation Z. Let’s put aside the saying that “parsley goes well with everything”. Because yes, in these weeks it is the ricotta to make many creators change their minds and indulge in their creativity TikTok. “Maturity is the awareness thatand the ricotta is actually good“, is the comment of a 21-year-old tiktoker who recently changed her opinion on the taste of dairy products. A transition from ‘zero to one hundred’ that sees the culinary inventiveness of users on the web as the protagonist. Recipes, recipes and more recipes. The important thing, when talking about viral trends on social media, is always to extrapolate the context, the place and the reasons for origin that lie behind such wide-ranging phenomena. In this case ‘ricotta-mania’ has become popular abroadmore precisely in England. It has nothing to do with some of our dishes: from pasta alla norma, to fried pizza filled with ricotta, passing through orecchiette seasoned with creamy cheese. It is necessary to take a step back.
Let’s start with the basics: Why has ricotta become a trend on platforms like TikTok and Instagram? More and more, social media are becoming – for better or for worse – ‘virtual gyms’. Videos of creators passionate about the world of fitness who express their opinions in front of the screen are growing rapidly. Nutritional advice, motivational videos and heavy workloads. This and much more is helping to bring young people closer to the world of physical and mental well-being. And if the equation doesn’t betray us, in addition to the workout itself, it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle. So here comes ricotta: a food that – if consumed in the right proportions – in many cases becomes a perfect assist for those looking for proteins (and not only). We are faced with yet another (passing?) fad that started in the world of social media and is intriguing thousands of people. Even the most skeptical, like Sarah MacKay, a Scottish tiktoker, are changing their minds about the product: “I used to hate ricotta, I literally felt like throwing up every time I put it in my mouth. But then I realized that at a certain point I had to stop being a child and I also realized that maybe I was just eating it wrong. Who eats ricotta straight from the tub?”, then asked Sarah, who noticed herself on the dairy product after having consumed together with scrambled eggs.
Another combination MacKay experimented with was that of combine the ricotta with its bowl of yogurt with almond butter, fruit, greek yogurt and cocoa. A rich, filling but above all healthy breakfast. There are tons of variations, like the one proposed by nutritionist Emily English, who went viral for her interpretation of the spicy ricotta with honey. Even followers confirm the goodness of the recipes: “I made it and I can confirm that it was delicious!” wrote one user. “It’s actually incredibly good”commented another, as reported by the Daily Mail. There are those like @cookingwithnoa who dare to define ricotta as “the new avocado”, a title that would have been unthinkable to attribute to the dairy product until a few weeks ago due to the social media food hierarchy. In many ways, the Internet is a reflection of our society. And if it is true that ricotta is now to be considered the ‘queen of TikTok’, British supermarkets have also confirmed this trend.
Research conducted by The Knowledge Bank has shown that Cheese sales have reached their highest level in 40 years. “The power of viral trends cannot be denied and seeing some variants become so popular thanks to TikTok and Instagram is fantastic as it can breathe new life into established products that have been able to capture a new audience,” said Anne-Laure Farrar, UK Market Insight Manager at The Knowledge Bank. M&S, a UK distribution centre, revealed it had 50% more ricotta sold than in 2023. A formidable fact that demonstrates how creators and new trends can influence the public. Among organic and low-fat foods, dairy has earned a place of honor, making thousands of people and their recipes jump on the “ricotta bandwagon”.
