McCormick For Chefs® announced the 23rd Edition of the Flavor Forecast, the brand’s annual report on the latest culinary trends shaping the way millions of consumers, chefs, and food professionals prepare and enjoy food worldwide. Along with the trends report, the McCormick global culinary team also announced its inaugural Flavor of the Year: Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning.

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This year, nearly four dozen global chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers, food technologists, and team members from around the world collaborated by tapping into their own expertise and passion for flavor, uncovering the most stand-out predictions and trends that are identified in McCormick’s Flavor Forecast® 23rd Edition, including:

● Full Flavored Fats: No longer misunderstood, consumers and chefs alike are now using fat, from butters to oils, to impart mouthwatering flavor and creaminess into everyday dishes and drinks, which offer a simple, comforting richness to the kitchen and a more balanced approach to eating.

● Everyday French: Grounded in the techniques and ingredients of French cooking, but democratized for today’s kitchen, French cuisine has never been more approachable while using the best ingredients and culinary techniques to build a harmony of flavors and lay the foundations for food and beverage to come.

● Beyond Heat: We’ve witnessed an exciting evolution to this new, multi-sensorial, layered taste experience that pushes beyond the singularly spicy realm where heat and ingredient pairings come together to shape how heat is perceived and how long it lingers and finishes.

McCormick will bring the trend report to life through its first-ever official Flavor of the Year, Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning, which is a bright, complex reflection of the innovations in food and flavor taking place on a global level. With influences in French cuisine and a prominence of heat throughout both, the seasoning is a culture crush of key ingredients – cayenne and paprika in classic Cajun tradition and lemongrass, garlic, and black peppercorn, customary in Vietnamese recipes – that complements each Flavor Forecast trend identified for 2023.

McCormick will also bring the Flavor of the Year to local New York consumers through a limited-time partnership with national restaurant chain, Smashburger. On December 7th from 5pm to 8pm, foodies will be able to sample an assortment of milkshakes, wings, and tater tots, made with McCormick Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning at Smashburger’s Chelsea location (370 7th Ave., Suite 101, New York, NY 10001), while supplies last. Limit one sample per person. Consumers will also be able to learn how McCormick Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning complements a wide variety of dishes, ranging from everyday favorites to gourmet cuisine. 

www.mccormick.com/houseofflavor