Last month, inside a test kitchen near Dulles International Airport, one of the world's largest airline catering companies held a tasting. Gategroup presented six plates of food showcasing culinary trends that could appear on future seatback trays. There were duck rillettes paired with ratatouille pickles, a whipped blue cheese dip topped with a bacon-date relish and a roasted heirloom cauliflower steak with turmeric-tahini sauce.
Though it was an assembly of airplane food, neither chicken nor pasta had been invited to the table. Stale punchlines would not have fit the menu.