Ever since YouTube launched in 2005, we’ve seen some of the best and some of the weirdest trends come and go. It comes as no surprise that the usual span of such trends are brief and they’re gone as soon as they come. However, there’s one trend that had emerged and has stayed buzzing for over a decade and has blown up even. ASMR.

You may have come across the word or the experience in some form, be it for narrative storytellings, whispering YouTubers, creepypasta, celebrities vlogs, K-pop trends or the good old white noise (the list is tirelessly long, we know). Breaking down the trend is hard, so we’ve picked one avenue to explore and it’s something we crave the most: food. Food and sound have always gone together (sizzling, crunching, pouring, cracking, popping to name a few) but on the good old television or shows, most of it is drowned out by commentary, chatter or dramatic music. ASMR essentially appeals to our brains with audio-visual tactics kindling a simulation similar to ‘brain-massage’, leaving you with a pleasant feeling. It comes as no surprise that the trend essentially married itself to food and has pervaded all digital media forms and left its mark. From Vlogging to advertising, everybody in the industry is hopping onto the bandwagon. Curious about how the trend? The Telegraph breaks it down for you.

WHAT IS ASMR?
ASMR or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is a sensory phenomenon that took the world by storm for its use as a medium to relax or even as a route to ease symptoms of distress among other factors. Many claim that ASMR has also let them sleep better. In the media, it’s known for millions of videos that amplify auditory cues to create a pleasing, calming tingling sensation akin to the feeling you feel when fingers are being run through your hair. You feel the sensation travel down from your scalp to your spine and that feeling is what makes it all the more alluring. ASMR has several triggers, from whispering to tapping to communicative roleplaying, cutting soap and even cooking! From make-up to technophiles, almost everything has an ASMR-related video for it. The trend has no limits, but what draws most people in? The aesthetics and the comfort that one obtains by consuming such media.

FOOD AND ASMR
We probably don’t have enough fingers to count the number of sounds the process of cooking alone involves, let alone take into account assembly and eating. From chopping to popping open a can, your ASMR experience can be endless when it comes to food. Usually done in an environment with minimal background sound, YouTube and Instagram accounts have mastered the trend of the art of prepping, presenting and eating food with the ASMR experience. You’re most likely to spot ASMR food videos in these sub-trends: Mukbangs (broadcast eating), home cafes, cafe channels, food channels and brand advertisements.

CAFES…. AT HOME?
With the pandemic locking most of us inside, at some point we all decided to pursue the dream of being a barista. From dalgona coffees to lattes, we tried it all. Home cafes bring to you exactly what the name suggests, the cafe food and beverage experience from their home. From strikingly calm aesthetics to beautiful sounds of mixing and pouring. If you couldn’t achieve your barista dreams these past few lockdowns, you can always live voraciously through these minimalist and ASMR home cafes. You can master a lot of recipes from these videos without a single word being uttered into your ears.

Checkout Channel: Hanse on Instagram and YouTube. With a minimalist home cafe setting and short videos of everything cafe-based from trending teas and flavoured milk to luxurious pastries and decadent desserts. A beautiful bonus? Really cute cutlery. Hanse’s videos will have you silently drooling and wishing you had a home cafe too.

CAFE VLOGS
If you love travelling and cafe hopping, and are having the blues from your getaway being barred, these ASMR cafe vlogs might just be the cure. Experience the finest cafe’s prepping orders and serving the finest pastries while soft music plays in the background. From sweet roulades to exotic drinks, pastries and baked goods, see famous cafes bring the finest of dishes while immersing you in the glory of cafe culture.

Checkout Channel: Najing is another channel to explore that brings you another perspective. Step into the life of a cafe barista as they prepare vibrant drinks to go from their cafe Litter Coffee. We love the melon shake videos and mint chocolate latte.

MUKBANG
Mukbangs are generally known for their consumption of a vast ensemble of food in front of a virtual audience, but what brings out the ASMR features in these videos are the exaggerated sounds of chewing, slurping, biting and more. The crazier ASMR trends are stuck under this sub-category (remember the 100 dumpling challenge?)and it all comes down to preference.
Checkout Channel: Two billion views collective and with 13 subscribers, Zach Choi ASMR on YouTube is the perfect place to explore ASMR Mukbang. Known for his exotic ensemble of food that he eats wordlessly. The star of the experience? The food and the sound of him eating foods with various textures. A versatile creator, you can also find some themed videos on his channel.

FOOD CHANNELS
If you’re averse to sweets and love savoury, then we’re here to add a little spice. Enjoy the best of savoury dishes from these food channels with the comfort of ASMR. Bringing you cuisines from around the world, there’s no country without an ASMR channel. From the vegan Japanese ‘Peaceful Cuisine’ to the Korean ‘Nino’s Home’ to Bangladesh’s ‘Spice Bangla’, there’s an ASMR channel for every cuisine. Explore the options all around you for the best virtual culinary experience, right from the comfort of your bed.

Checkout Channel: Bringing you back to Bengal, we’re not surprised to see the rise of the ASMR within Calcutta. YouTube channel ‘Bong Eats’ brings you the finest of Calcutta cuisine without the unnecessary chit chat. From the classics to the modern, they’re here to make the recipes accessible and fun. Beautifully choreographed, this channel will bring out the Bengali nostalgia in you.

Whatever food trend you like, we’re sure there’s an ASMR video for you to relax to out there. So log on and dive right into your culinary ASMR experience.

What is your favourite food ASMR channel? Tell us at t2@abp.in

Fun Facts
• There are over 12 million-plus posts under the hashtag #asmr on Instagram and over 12 million videos on YouTube
• ASMR artistes have millions of followers and supporters across all channels
• According to research done by ThinkwithGoogle, ASMR has been searched more than the word ‘candy’ on YouTube. ‘ASMR Sleep’ is one of the most searched related terms