November 2025’s food trends spanned the spectrum from festive fun to futuristic controversy. This month’s search data shows people obsessing over limited-edition holiday merch, scouring recipes for big feasts, and even debating the ethics of cloned meat at the dinner table. East Asia contributed its share of buzz—from a Japanese fast-food twist on Christmas dinner to neon-lit Seoul alleys and Taipei’s revamped traditional market—while TikTok-fueled health fads sent tropical fruits like soursop trending worldwide. Based on the sharpest spikes in Google searches and social chatter, here are the top 10 food trends of November 2025:
1. Starbucks Bear Cup (Bearista glass): A single cute glass cup triggers queues, resellers, dupes and full-on holiday merch one-upmanship everywhere.
Picture it: a limited-edition Starbucks cup so adorable and scarce that fans started lining up at 4 a.m. to get one. Dubbed the “Bearista” cup for its bear shape and tiny green beanie lid, this $30 holiday cold cup sold out within hours of launch. Almost immediately, resale listings popped up online asking hundreds of dollars for the cup – some eBay sellers even listed prices in the four-figure range. The frenzy didn’t stop at North America: caffeine lovers in South Korea and Japan amplified the craze by hunting for the cup and sharing it on social media, while some stores jumped in with copycat bear mugs for those who missed out. Starbucks wound up apologizing to disappointed customers after the Bearista vanished from shelves, proving that even a simple glass cup can spark a worldwide holiday merch mania.
I bought a Starbucks bear cup so I can fight people that want it pic.twitter.com/MsmPVgzPDu
— Steel Rain (@SteelRain602) November 10, 2025
2. Thanksgiving Food: The holiday becomes a content free-for-all, with full menus, leftover hacks and gadget-cooked sides all vying for attention.
In November, everything Thanksgiving-related dominated food searches. People weren’t just looking up the classic roast turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie — they were also hungry for new twists on the holiday. “Friendsgiving” potluck ideas, air-fryer recipes for side dishes, and even pellet grill techniques (like Traeger-smoked turkey) trended as home cooks looked to mix tradition with novelty. With grocery prices still biting, many searched for budget-friendly feast menus and creative ways to stretch leftovers. The Thanksgiving table basically became a content creator’s playground, where complete menu plans, leftover hacks, and kitchen gadget tips all competed for attention online.
3. Cloned meat in Canada: Policy debates decide whether cloned steaks reach dinner plates quietly, without labels, or stay science-fiction forever.
A more serious food topic spiked this month in Canada, where a regulatory curveball put “cloned meat” in the spotlight. News spread that Health Canada had quietly proposed allowing meat from cloned animals into the food supply without any special labels or safety review. Curious and concerned Canadians drove a surge in searches for “cloned meat,” and dinner tables buzzed with debate about the ethics of cloning, transparency in food labeling, and trust in regulators. What was once a sci-fi concept suddenly felt very real – prompting many to wonder if their steaks could soon be cloned without them even knowing. The uproar has officials pausing for now, but the conversation about cloned meat has firmly entered the mainstream.
4. Sukiya Roast Beef Bowl (すき家 ローストビーフ丼): Japan’s beef-bowl giant reimagines Christmas roast as fast food, complete with garlicky sauce, egg and wasabi heat.
In Japan, beloved gyūdon (beef bowl) chain Sukiya put a holiday twist on fast food with a limited-time Roast Beef Bowl. The dish features tender slices of roast beef over warm rice, drizzled in a garlicky soy sauce and topped with a soft-cooked egg and a dollop of real horseradish (for a wasabi-like kick). It’s essentially a Christmas roast dinner reimagined for the lunch crowd – and Japanese commuters ate it up, literally. The new item caused such a frenzy that just two weeks after launch (on Nov 11) it was sold out, forcing Sukiya to pause sales to secure more ingredients. Searches for this East-meets-West creation surged as people rushed to try the festive roast-in-a-bowl, proving that even fast-food can join in the holiday feast trend.
5. Euljiro “Matjip” Hot Spots (을지로 맛집): Industrial Seoul backstreets morph into neon-lit food alleys where locals queue for jeongol hotpots, draft beer and retro vibes.
Seoul’s Euljiro district – once a maze of old hardware stores and print shops – has unexpectedly become the city’s hottest foodie neighborhood. Korean-language searches for “을지로 맛집” (Euljiro matjip, meaning “Euljiro good eats”) have spiked as locals and visitors hunt for the area’s famed hidden restaurants. By day, Euljiro still looks gritty and industrial, but by night its narrow alleys glow with neon signs and are packed with people waiting in line for dinner. The draw? Huge bubbling jeongol hotpots perfect for group meals, local draft beers served in retro-style bars, and eateries tucked behind old machinery shops that offer vintage decor and Instagram-worthy vibes. Dubbed “Hipjiro” by Seoul’s young crowd, this neighborhood’s mix of gritty charm and gourmet finds has made it a trending food destination.
6. Nanmen Market, Taipei (南門市場): Taipei’s historic market resurfaces in a sleek building, mixing grandma’s deli counters with Instagrammable dumplings and gift boxes.
Taipei’s iconic Nanmen Market is back in the spotlight after a major makeover. This century-old food market reopened in late 2023 in a shiny new multi-story building, and now – a year later – it’s drawing fresh attention from shoppers and tourists. Chinese-language searches for Nanmen Market surged this month as people plan their winter holiday food shopping, looking up the market’s famous deli counters, traditional snack stalls, and gift-boxed delicacies. The revamped space manages to feel both nostalgic and new: you can find grandma’s favorite cured meats, dried fruits, and rice dumplings at one stall, then turn a corner to see visitors snapping photos of colorful dumplings and elegant gift packages. With the Lunar New Year and other holidays on the horizon, Nanmen’s blend of old-school eats and modern comfort is making it a must-visit foodie spot.
7. “Chayote” Meaning: A humble squash from Latin America quietly infiltrates recipes, prompting English speakers worldwide to google its unfamiliar name.
Chayote – a pear-shaped green squash native to Latin America – quietly became an internet-famous ingredient in November. English-speaking cooks around the world kept stumbling across chayote in online recipes and TikTok cooking videos, then rushing to Google “what is chayote?” to satisfy their curiosity. This mild, crunchy gourd features in Mexican and Central American stews, Caribbean roasted veggie trays, and Filipino stir-fries, but many people outside those cuisines had never encountered it. Thanks to viral budget cooking clips and global food bloggers including chayote in their recipes, the unfamiliar ingredient started trending. The result: a spike in searches for the meaning of chayote, proving that even the most humble regional vegetable can get its 15 minutes of fame in the digital age.
8. “Durian” Meaning: Curious travelers confront the ‘king of fruits’, searching its definition before braving the infamous, polarizing smell.
Even durian, Southeast Asia’s so-called “king of fruits,” turned into a trending search query this month. Plenty of people (especially Western travelers) found themselves googling “durian meaning” after hearing tales of this thorny fruit’s legend and infamous odor. In its home region, durian is a delicacy known for creamy, custard-like flesh – but it also carries such a strong smell that it’s banned on many public trains and in hotels. As more tourists plan trips to places like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, they’re encountering “No Durian” signs and all-you-can-eat durian buffets, sparking curiosity about what this fruit actually is. The surge in definition searches shows that before braving their first bite (or whiff) of durian, people want to understand the basics of this polarizing fruit.
9. Soursop / Soursop Tea: TikTok health hacks push soursop teas and juices as miracle cures, blending tropical nostalgia with risky wellness promises.
Soursop (a.k.a. guanábana) was thrust into the spotlight by the wellness corners of TikTok and YouTube. This tropical fruit and its leaves have long been used in traditional remedies and do contain antioxidants – but recent viral videos wildly overhyped soursop as a natural cancer “cure.” In response, people across English and Spanish-speaking regions flocked to search engines to find out what soursop is, how to make soursop tea, and whether any of the health claims hold water. Mainstream medical experts have repeatedly warned that there’s no scientific proof soursop can cure cancer. Still, the allure of a “miracle fruit” has driven both interest and concern. The buzz has soursop tea and juice recipes trending on social media – a mix of tropical nostalgia and risky wellness promise that has everyone talking (and fact-checking) this month.
10. Cranberry Sauce: An old-school side becomes a flavor playground, from smoky-chipotle versions to ultra-simple, three-ingredient fridge-door relishes.
Finally, humble cranberry sauce made its annual comeback in search trends. As American Thanksgiving dinners took shape (and Brits planned their Christmas roasts), interest in this tart red condiment spiked once again. This year, home cooks went beyond the classic canned vs. homemade debate and got creative: searches turned up smoky chipotle-spiced cranberry sauces, batches spiked with bourbon or orange liqueur, and ultra-simple recipes using just cranberries, sugar, and a splash of juice. In North America and the UK, food blogs turned cranberry sauce into a flavor playground, suggesting twists like adding ginger, jalapeño, or even mixing in other fruits. Once an afterthought on the holiday table, cranberry sauce is now a canvas for culinary creativity – and its renewed popularity shows that even the traditional sides can surprise and delight.