From peas to parsnips, food just tastes better after a pounding. Top cooks explain the year’s tastiest trend

It started with meat – burgers, to be precise. But now the moment for “smashed” food has come for everything from brussels sprouts to cucumbers, tacos and toasties. In restaurants and kitchens across the UK, the sound of pounding can be heard as chefs and home cooks take rolling pins to their ingredients.

The smash burger – flatter and more crispy than the non-smashed – has been growing in popularity. Last year, experts declared smashed peas on toast the new avocado on toast. On TikTok, smashed cucumber recipes racked up millions of views this summer. “It’s the word of the moment,” says Sami Harvey, executive chef at The Laundry in south London, where smashed roast squash is on the menu.