Coffee culture sure has come a long way in America since the time when it was thought of as a bottomless-refill commodity. The beverage is now a signature item for many restaurants that brings in traffic and drives profit. Coffee continues to be an innovative menu sector, as shown by Starbucks’ recent introduction of cold-brewed coffee and Chik-fil-a’s partnership with the sustainable coffee supplier THRIVE. Novel coffee preparations like fizzy nitrogen coffee and the fat-laden Bulletproof Coffee are also reaching new levels of popularity.

With coffee being such a strong beverage player, it makes sense that chefs are now incorporating more coffee into foods both savory and sweet. Coffee adds intriguing notes of bitterness to savory dishes like celeriac pasta at Chicago’s Tete Charcuterie and braised oxtail at Boston’s Fairsted Kitchen. Chefs have found that coffee can complement many other ingredients like red meat, pork, chili peppers, beets, and duck. Coffee is also a classic dessert ingredient, and chefs are serving up everything from classic tiramisu to chicory-flavored Vietnamese coffee ice cream. With coffee so hot right now, it might be the perfect time to think about putting it on your food menu.

Read the full article here: Coffee’s Influence Expands to Savory, Sweet Foods