Now that the annual season of pumpkin spice, peppermint hot chocolate, and other holiday flavors of fall and winter has passed, research chefs and product developers are gearing up to embrace the food and flavor trend predictions for the new year. Eager to mine those predictions for nuggets of inspiration that will lead to new ideas and flavor profiles, chefs strive to please an increasingly adventurous, yet demanding, consumer.
The 2010s delivered an expansive consumer awareness of, and attraction to, North African and Middle Eastern flavors. Spices and flavor blends such as za’atar, sumac, harissa, dukkha, and ras al hanout abounded. At the same time, the decade also saw significant growth in consumer interest in the regional cuisines of Southeast Asia, which helped reinforce the applications of lemongrass, kaffir lime, and tamarind in foods and beverages.