IN THE END, 2012 WAS THE YEAR AMERICANS GOT SERIOUS ABOUT FOOD. From “healthy eating” to “farm-to-table,” everyday people finally woke up to a simple fact: Food makes the world get fat go round. If you want a better life, start with what’s on your plate — and is it any wonder that Americans probably spent more money on restaurants in 2012 than in the last 20 years combined? Of course not: That’s the power of food.

From the hottest menus to the man who wants us to make friends with pigs before we eat them, 2012 was the year food went viral. Here, then, ARE THE TOP TEN FOOD STORIES OF 2012:

10. Restaurant reviews

9. Food trends

8. The most amazing articles about food

7. Fundamental “food-truths”

6. The future of picnics

5. Food on TV

4. Cookbooks

3. Celebrity chefs

2. Carbo-loading

1. Nutrition