The sour and salty pickle is the food to watch in New Zealand in 2019, as revealed by the 2019 Uber Eats Foodcast.

The list of trendiest food predictions for the year ahead also includes other healthy staples of brown rice, avocado and coconut.

To uncover local insights around these foodie favourites, Uber Eats analysed almost 10 million searches on the app in Aotearoa during the last six months of 2018.

The list of ingredients to watch in 2019 also included beetroot, kimchi and ube (purple yam).

According to Andy Bowie, NZ Country Manager for Uber Eats, as Kiwis become more conscious of what they eat, we can expect plant-based superfoods to continue to rise in popularity.

'Our search data shows food preferences are constantly evolving and the latest is a rise in socially-conscious diners. In line with this, we expect to see vegan, vegetarian and healthier organic options become increasingly mainstream, rising from being a niche option to a common lifestyle choice.

'Customer search volumes also show that food delivery apps like Uber Eats are quickly transforming food delivery from a guilty pleasure at the weekend, to an increasingly important part of our daily food habits.

"As we look ahead to 2019, we expect to see more eaters search for more low-cost, healthier, ‘everyday' meal options and make easy switches like choosing brown rice over white,” says Andy.

'Beverages are becoming ingredients as beer and tea are incorporated into meals - and we're seeing items that were once considered exotic become conventional such as truffle and turmeric.

'It's cool to see how Kiwis eating habits are changing over time, and we're already miles away from the traditional meat and three veg - with ingredients that were once considered exotic now commonplace. Excitingly it shows our Kiwi multiculturalism is also enhancing our food preferences and enabling a more diverse diet.

'We hope this information will be useful for Kiwi restaurateurs looking to develop appealing menus for eaters into 2019 and beyond.”

The 2019 Uber Eats Foodcast was developed by ranking the top 20 most searched food items on the Uber Eats app over the past six months (May-November 2018) in New Zealand based on 9,926,671 searches.

Want to know more about the foods to watch in 2019? The 2019 Uber Eats Foodcast predicts the top 20 ingredients will be:

1. Pickles
2. Brown Rice
3. Avocado
4. Coconut
5. Tofu
6. Beetroot
7. Beer
8. Satay
9. Seaweed
10. Sriracha
11. Quinoa
12. Tea
13. Cauliflower
14. Ube
15. Kimchi
16. Tahini
17. Truffle
18. Turmeric
19. Halloumi
20. Chia