Make-believe time travel

Newstalgia – a combination of the words “new” and “nostalgia” – is one of the most interesting gastronomic trends of recent years.

Nostalgia or a marketing promise?

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/12-2026.01

Essentially, it reimagines iconic foods, flavours and experiences from the past in a contemporary, creative form. The concept isn’t just about eating: it gives an opportunity to revisit happy memories from our childhood. The key to success is balance – innovation shouldn’t come at the expense of enjoyment and recognisability, so the original flavours need to be preserved, while adding an unexpected twist to make them relevant today. In Hungarian fine dining this trend is represented by “reimagined classic” cuisine, where a dish of cottage cheese noodles or stew is transformed into an elegant appetiser or complex plate. Retro-inspired concepts have also appeared in the world of street food, such as reinterpreted versions of hot dog or Ischler.