McCormick’s Flavour Forecast report is an annual project that enables the company, which makes a range of herbs, spices and recipe bases, to identify and anticipate new and emerging consumer trends and tastes.
To create its Flavour Forecast, McCormick assembles a team of in-house experts worldwide to collaboratively identify emerging trends and flavours on a global level.
In the report, McCormick aims to pinpoint flavour trends that serve as catalysts for innovation in restaurant menus and retail brands, and, of course, in McCormick’s own products.
The forecast is developed following a year-long process of culinary exploration. The global team includes 30 to 40 McCormick experts ranging from chefs, culinary professionals, sensory scientists, dietitians, trend trackers, marketing experts and food technologists.
The Flavour Forecast looks at trends that will hit the mainstream market in about three to five years. Flavour suggestions from the 2008 and 2009 Flavour Forecast report, for instance, can now be seen in supermarkets, while the 2010 Flavour Forecast report flavours are currently making appearances on restaurant menus. The 2011 report flavours, meanwhile, are starting to be published in magazines and last year’s flavours are just starting to emerge.
Flavours of the past
Past reports have certainly helped move once unfamiliar ingredients and trends into mainstream popularity. When chipotle was featured in the Flavour Forecast 2003, for instance, it was virtually unknown in the broad consumer marketplace. Now it is a very familiar flavour in US grocery products from salsas, mayonnaise, potato chips, snack mixes, canned chilli, salad dressings, chocolate bars and more.
From 2003-2011, the total number of new grocery products launched in the US with chipotle increased by 870 per cent. In the UK in 2008, there were four new products launched containing chipotle, and in 2012, there were 38. And in Australia, we are starting to see chipotle feature in supermarket products, including the Coles Simply Less Spiced Beef with Roasted Vegetables and Chipotle Dressing, Kettle Chips’ Cashews with Mild Chipotle Chilli and Beak & Johnston’s Big Al’s Pork Ribs in Chipotle Sauce.
Beetroot was chosen as an emerging flavour in the 2010 Flavour Forecast. Again, the results speak for themselves. In the UK, new product introductions using beetroot doubled in the last three years and in Australia, since 2010, 14 new products featuring beetroot as an ingredient or flavouring have been launched in supermarkets.
Sweet potato was also identified as an emerging trend in the 2008 Flavour Forecast. In the UK, new product introductions featuring sweet potato have doubled since 2009 to 112 in 2012. Locally, since 2009, there have been at least 19 new products containing sweet potato launched in Australia.
The trend of infusing foods with cocktail-inspired flavours also appeared in the 2008 Flavour Forecast. In the US, about 3000 new grocery products have been launched since then featuring a variety of flavours like whiskey, ale, bourbon, brandy and more.
Sea salt, featured in Flavour Forecast 2007, has also increased in popularity and is now highlighted on retail packaging for products such as soups, snacks, breakfast cereals, seasoning and ready meals. From 2008 to 2012, new products featuring sea salt increased by 198 per cent on average. As of February 2012, sea salt is the fastest growing flavouring in the US, with a 125 per cent surge in usage on restaurant menus.
So what’s hot this year?
McCormick has identified some flavours that we believe will drive new product development and innovative menu additions into the future. Here’s a quick taste of what’s to come.
Plantain
This is a hybrid
vegetable that looks like a banana but tastes more like a potato. The
plantain can be simply fried, boiled or added to a soup as it gives a
starchy quality to foods and thickens the liquid in soups and stews.
Mix it with hearty meat cuts and stick cinnamon for a new take on
meat and potatoes. Adding plantain lifts these types of dishes into
the unknown.
Our forecast: We think this will start to appear in
high-end restaurants and into food service in two to three years.
Dukkah
This is a Middle Eastern
spice blend of cumin, coriander, sesame and nuts. It’s great for
robust fish such as barramundi or salmon. The flavour profile of
dukkah is particularly good with lamb and chicken. It goes especially
well with unexpected varieties of broccoli for satisfying flavours
and texture. One way to produce a dukkah and broccoli-flavoured meal
is to pull apart the components of dukkah and use them in the
layering of the dish; for instance, a cumin and coriander salt-rubbed
lamb on a bed of hazelnut and broccoli couscous topped with a tahini
mayonnaise.
Our forecast: We think this will start to appear in
high-end restaurants over the next year and trickle down into food
service in two to three years, then finally into supermarkets in
three to five years.
Charred orange
This new take on
citrus has all the characteristics of orange pith and juice but a
slightly scorched note adds smokiness and complexity. Mix charred
orange with black rum and allspice for a sultry collision that
balances richness, warmth and spice. It is also great for reducing as
a sweet syrup, for making cocktails with pizazz and, of course, it
makes a spectacular punch.
Our forecast: We think this will start
to appear now in high-end restaurants and food service with a two- to
three-year supermarket debut.
Molasses
This old-fashioned syrup
was used in rolled oat biscuits or mixed with unprocessed oats
and given to horses as it is nutrient-rich. When used as a flavour it
adds a deep, rich, sweet and robust flavour to even the lightest of
ingredients. Mix it with cider and sage for a rustic and comforting
combo.
Our forecast: We think this will start to appear in
high-end restaurants over the next year and trickle down into food
service in two to three years.
Cajeta
This is a Mexican caramel sauce that is
milky-sweet and rich. It’s great for simple applications such as
pancakes or ice-cream or add the bitter and floral notes of anise to
transform desserts and savoury dishes.
Our forecast: We think this
will start to appear in high-end restaurants this year and into food
service in two to three years. This will probably never hit the
supermarkets but should appear in gourmet food stores in the next two
to three years.
Farro grain
This healthy ancient grain needs to be
soaked and then cooked. This produces a firm and chewy texture with
an earthy, nutty taste.
This staple suits any meal, but its value
lies in the depth of flavour it gives to root veges and steamed
greens. Mix with blackberry and clove for extra spice.
Our
forecast: Farro has already hit menus in recent years but never in
this way. Farro can be found in supermarkets and health food stores.
Japanese katsu sauce
This type of sauce is used
traditionally as a dipping sauce or for flavouring meats to be
barbecued. Katsu sauce is rich and delicate at the same time. It can
be bought in Asian supermarkets as a thin sauce for dipping or as a
thick sauce for marinating and basting. Because it works well with
chicken and salmon, it could become the next go-to soy sauce-like
condiment. Mix with oregano for a light herb flavour for BBQ steak
sauce.
Our forecast: We think this will start to appear now in
high-end restaurants and food service with a two- to three-year
mainstream supermarket debut.
