What is foodporn? It's not just an Instagram hashtag, but sharing content that puts you in the mood to munch. Check out the reasons behind this phenomenon.
Are you a foodie, food blogger, or someone who just loves to eat and see what other people are eating? There’s no doubt that you’ve come across the term “foodporn” but if you aren’t someone who’s already internet savvy, you might not know what it means.
For the uninitiated, we know what you’re thinking. Visions of pornographic videos and images come to mind. “What are they doing with the food?” you ask. You wonder if you even want to know.
Do you have to block the #foodporn hashtag while you’re at work or around kids? Is there a such thing as a foodporn actor, and if so, what do they do?
Don’t worry, it’s not anything like that. We’re here to explain foodporn to the foodporn virgins so you can look up work-friendly and delicious content without worry.
Keep reading to learn more.
First: What Is Foodporn?
Don’t worry, friend. Foodporn has nothing to do with those videos that you used to find in the backroom of video rental shops or the popups that you get when you’re browsing the more “adult” parts of the web.
Rather, foodporn refers to pictures or videos of food. “Pornographic food” isn’t pornographic in a literal way (well, most of the time). The only thing that it’s meant to arouse is your taste buds.
People have been documenting their food journeys for as long as they’ve been able to write. Old cookbooks, letters, and novels have vivid descriptions of home-cooked meals. There’s almost certainly a drawing in a cave somewhere of someone’s fire-roasted meat slab.
While many people think of Instagram as the birthplace of foodporn, this isn’t true. Food bloggers before Instagrammers have been documenting their meals and sharing images of food on Livejournal, MySpace, YouTube, and anywhere else that you can post something for others to see.
You can even find foodporn in old Food Network and Travel Channel shows. Anthony Bourdain traveled the globe looking for international foodporn, among other things. Adam Richman looked for the biggest and best foodporn challenges to show off and devour.
In other words, foodporn has a long and varied history. Humans love to eat and create new interesting food concoctions, and other humans like to witness them.
Can Any Food be Foodporn?
Well, kind of. Every kind of food is appealing to someone. Just like with regular porn, there’s an audience for every niche.
Most foodporn comes in the form of professionally-made food. It might be fast-food, high-end fine dining, or somewhere in-between. Foods can be large and excessive, like milkshakes piled high with cake, donuts, and sprinkles. They can also be simple, like a well-made salad.
Not all foodporn is professional, though. Home chefs love showing off their culinary porn as much as anyone else, and recipe bloggers also want to create foodporn.
Sometimes food presentation is the star of the show rather than the food itself. There’s even a trend of people displaying atrocious or inconvenient food presentation as a kind of “anti foodporn.”
You can even make your own foodporn and document it for the world to see. If you see it and it makes you hungry, it’s foodporn in one way or another.
Why Do People Post It?
Okay, so foodporn isn’t porn. Got it. But in that case, what’s the point?
Are people sexually attracted to deep-fried Oreos and shrimp scampi? Does someone out there get a thrill out of a huge ice cream sundae?
Well, probably, but that’s not why people post and document their foods. There are plenty of reasons someone might choose to show off their foodporn, almost none of which have to do with sex.
1. For Fun
Some people post foodporn because they love food, plain and simple. They found a new favorite snack and they decided to mix their interests in food and photography to share it with the world.
These people are often travelers. While most people want to take photos of monuments or landscapes, these bloggers navigate the world with their stomachs.
They take a bite, snap a pic, and get back to digging in.
2. To Advertise
Other people use foodporn to advertise for themselves or others. They want to entice followers into also seeking out that glamorous food (or, for recipe bloggers, to make it themselves).
Have you ever seen a restaurant post mouthwatering images on their Instagram account? Did you find yourself browsing the menu and making a reservation afterward?
That’s the power of foodporn. It’s a common saying that we “eat with our eyes” first, and once our brains see something that it wants to eat, our stomaches won’t be sated until we’ve gotten that meal.
3. To Inspire
Okay, so foodporn isn’t inspirational, per se, but posting these images inspires your stomach for sure.
Some bloggers want to show off their food finds to encourage other people to join them in their food adventures. While they’re not advertising in a professional way, they’re showing off foods they love to either showcase their own skills or their favorite restaurants.
They want their followers to join their food journeys!
Are You Salivating Yet?
Foodporn is here to stay. Whether you love following sweet and luscious desserts or fried food towers, a good foodporn photo or video is sure to arouse your tastebuds and get your stomach growling in no time.
Food bloggers, travelers, and even your friends on Instagram are all posting foodporn every day. Why not snap a few pics yourself?
Are you looking for all things foodporn to inspire your next meal? Check out the blog and get ready to get hungry.
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