if you’re a food-lover, you have probably heard a lot of the “r” word lately. no, not rissole. i’m talking about all things “rustic.” these days it’s impossible to flick through a cookbook or read a restaurant review without seeing some mention of rustic cookery. sensing that this trend could have more staying power than the sundried tomato craze of the 90’s, i decided to investigate.

a quick look around the food mag section at my local newsagent reveals an array of rustic images. from wooden boards and meals served in pots, to frayed or creased table linen, mismatched plates, sauces served in measuring cups and crumbled biscuits; it sure is a rustic month out there in magazine world.

yet rustic style extends far beyond publishing. restaurants are replacing stiff, leather-bound menus with brown paper, chalkboards and printed placemats. peasant-style dishes, second-class cuts of meat and nose-to-tail cookery are suddenly chic, while shared plates and communal dining are overtaking stuffy a la carte options.

take sydney chef warren turnbull, for example. he developed his new restaurant district dining as a casual counterpoint to his two-hatted assiette. district ticks several rustic boxes. bare tables? check. wooden boards? check. blackboard menu? chalk… i mean check.

turnbull’s not alone. rusticity has made its way into some of the world’s most renowned restaurants. copenhagen’s noma serves a dish called “radishes in soil.” presented in a terra cotta pot, the dish features three radishes sitting in “soil” made of crushed malt, hazelnuts and beer. it’s a remarkably rustic dish for a restaurant twice voted “best in the world” by restaurant magazine.

other michelin-starred chefs getting rustic include heston blumenthal, whose new london restaurant “dinner” features a dress code described as “comfortable,” and ireland’s dylan mcgrath, who swapped molecular gastronomy for stone cooking, opening dublin restaurant “rustic stone” in 2010.

but is rustic just another word for lazy? after all, it wasn’t long ago that we were arranging chive sprigs, layering ingredients into ring moulds, carving radish roses and discarding any plate that wasn’t white. call it the jamie oliver effect, but I think it’s more about finding great ingredients, and treating them as simply as possible.

so, fancy getting in on the rustic scene? just remember to relax and leave intricate plating to trembling masterchef contestants. keep in mind rustic’s true meaning: “simple and charming in a way seen as typical of the countryside.” 

why not dish up on mismatched plates, place antipasto on a beautiful wooden board, or pour drinks into jam jars? you could serve slow-cooked meats right out of the pot, or gnocchi in a shallow pan.  or, swap linen and glass vases for bare tables and unusual flower vessels, like old watering cans or ceramic water jugs. another handy tip is to write your food blog in lowercase text.

and if all else fails, just throw some radishes in a garden pot. if it works for the best restaurant in the world, your family will surely love it for dinner too.

(image: rustic fritto misto de verdura at cotogna, san francisco)