It was the best of times for foodies, and arguably, the most confusing. Gone are the days when food existed purely to nourish the body, to fuel the everyday. Today, in the age of Instagram, food serves another purpose—performance. Plates have been elevated to pedestals, meals have morphed into moments, and restaurants have become stages where dishes are not just served, but curated for the camera. Yet as food’s visual appeal grows, one can’t help but ask: has the allure of aesthetics overshadowed the essence of taste and nutrition? Enter the world of ‘Instagrammable’ food, where presentation takes centre stage and flavours often play second fiddle. It’s not just about what we eat anymore, but how it looks on our feeds.

From rainbow bagels to charcoal lattes, the internet has birthed a dizzying array of over-the-top, colourful, and sometimes outlandish creations—all designed with one goal in mind: to go viral. Restaurants and cafes have taken note. Menus are no longer just crafted for flavour but for their visual appeal. Dishes are designed to catch the eye, to pop in bright hues, and to be unique enough that they beg for a snapshot. Viral food trends such as avocado toast, freakshakes, and sushi burritos owe their fame as much to their striking visuals as they do to their flavours. These creations are essentially content, crafted for consumption in the digital world before they ever reach our taste buds.

This obsession with aesthetics doesn’t just influence what we order—it has infiltrated our homes. Home cooks now feel the pressure to produce picture-perfect meals, with many aspiring to recreate the highly stylised, Instagram-ready dishes they scroll past every day. Plating, once a skill reserved for professional chefs, has become an expectation for the everyday cook. Dinner isn’t just dinner anymore; it’s an opportunity to stage a moment, to style food in a way that earns digital approval. But this constant comparison to the perfect meals we see online isn’t without its drawbacks. The psychological effects of scrolling through a feed full of highly curated food images are real. The pressure to measure up can leave even the most confident home cooks questioning their abilities. For many, food styling has evolved into an art form in its own right, with influencers turning to curated photoshoots, careful lighting, and professional-level equipment just to capture the perfect shot. In the quest for the ideal aesthetic, the joy of simply eating has, for some, taken a backseat.

We’ve all heard the saying, “We eat with our eyes first.” But what if the way something looks actually alters how we perceive its taste? Research shows that visuals play a significant role in our overall eating experience. The colour contrast of a dish, the way it’s plated, and the lighting used to showcase it can all impact how we think it will taste. It’s not just about making food look appetising—angles, shadows, and symmetry also play crucial roles in shaping our perception. With the right filters and settings, a simple salad can be made to look like a gourmet masterpiece, while an everyday sandwich, when shot in golden hour light, takes on an almost ethereal glow. In many cases, the presentation has become just as important as the flavours themselves—sometimes more so. With food so often judged by its appearance before it’s even tasted, the question arises: are we losing sight of the essence of eating?

Instagram has become a breeding ground for influencers and food bloggers, individuals whose influence over what we eat is undeniable. These social media tastemakers hold the power to shape trends, dictate what’s hot and what’s not, and even influence what we cook in our own kitchens. Restaurants have caught on, often designing dishes specifically for influencers to post. A well-timed tag or a perfectly framed photo can send hordes of followers flocking to sample the latest ‘must-try’ dish. Hashtags like #foodie and #instafood have grown into global phenomena, with millions of posts tagged daily. These influencers and bloggers turn food into a social currency, where likes, shares, and comments become the markers of success. But as food becomes more commodified, one has to wonder: is this endless pursuit of ‘likes’ detracting from the authenticity of the food experience?

Instagram has undeniably contributed to the commodification of food. Dishes, once made to be enjoyed, are now often crafted with the sole intent of creating ‘content.’ Every meal, every snack, every coffee run becomes a potential post, a chance to curate a moment for social media. But has this focus on aesthetics taken away from the authenticity of dining experiences? Are we more concerned with capturing the perfect shot than we are with savouring the actual flavours? Restaurants have leaned into this new reality. Many now market specific ‘photo moments’—from neon signs to perfectly positioned floral walls—designed to be captured and shared. But in this rush to create an ‘Instagram-worthy’ moment, are we losing sight of what really matters in a dining experience? When food becomes a product to be consumed visually, the flavours, the textures, and the overall experience risk being overshadowed.

It’s not just influencers and foodies who have had to adapt to this visual-first approach. The culinary industry has felt the effects of Instagram’s influence in profound ways. Chefs and restaurateurs now design not only their menus but their spaces with Instagram in mind. ‘Instagram-worthy’ décor has become a selling point, with restaurants designed to look good in photos as much as they are to serve good food. However, this emphasis on appearance can have its drawbacks. When the focus shifts too much to how food looks, there’s a risk that quality and sustainability fall by the wayside. After all, what good is a perfectly plated meal if the ingredients are subpar or the flavours don’t hold up?

As we look to the future, one thing is clear: the visual appeal of food isn’t going anywhere. Platforms like Instagram have cemented food as an art form in its own right, and for better or worse, the aesthetics of food will continue to influence how we eat. However, there’s hope that we can strike a balance. Perhaps the next evolution will bring a return to taste and tradition, where food is appreciated for both its visual appeal and its flavours, offering a more authentic experience. After all, the best meals are those that feed both the body and the soul.