TrendWatch
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EMERGING INGREDIENTS, FLAVORS AND DISHES
June 2008International Aid: As seen in our Culinary Trend Mapping® Report, as portable fare rises in popularity, foreign flavors abound in handheld meals. Here at CCD, we often look to street food to spot future trends. Recent sightings abound from Indian kati rolls at 44 Grill in NYC; Jamaican meat patties at Golden Crust, a 115-unit QSR; Cornish pasty's in a northern Midwestern state, and Chinese bings (a kind of bun) appearing at Blue Ginger, Ming Tsai’s Wellesley, Mass. restaurant. (NRN, 5/19) We mentioned empanadas as a Stage 4 trend in our recent Handheld Foods Culinary Trend Mapping® report.
- The New Staples ...Aged black garlic from Le Sanctuaire specialty spice shop and showroom in San Francisco is being touted as a novel ingredient for chefs. We tasted it at the shop last month and found it amazingly sweet and unctuous. “Heads of garlic undergo a monthlong fermentation, and the fiery white cloves transform into dark, sweet nugget with the consistency of jelly and a taste of the earth.” (New York Times, May 4)
- A new crowd cultivates a taste for caviar… By incorporating exotic fish eggs into familiar dishes, trendy chefs are turning on new generations to the salty delicacy. Find it in spring rolls, on tuna pizza or with fettuccine or even tacos, as at Quarter Kitchen in San Diego. (USA Today, 5/15)
- Ban lifted, foie gras is back on the menu in Chicago…A victory was scored for restaurants and foie gras lovers in Chicago when the city’s aldermen reversed a two-year ban on the delicacy. The banning, in the end, said more about the city’s politics than animal rights issues. (New York Times, 5/15)
- Taste of the Olympics…Beijing menus sprout game-themed novelties in anticipation for the big event this year. Shrimp salad garnished with a chocolate tennis racquet, table-tennis-paddle-shape duck livers, and stir-fries served in fried noodle baskets made to look like the main Olympic stadium are examples of dishes appearing in the Chinese capital. (Wall Street Journal, 5/16)
- In search of the arepa…Raymond Sokolov goes in search of authentic Venezuelan arepas in South Florida and also discovers asado negro, or pot roast, cachapa, or corn pancakes, and even wild boar tenderloin. How long before these authentic flavors start trickling out of these enclaves? (Wall Street Journal, 5/17)
- From Bombay to New York to Beverly Hills, Indian fusion is forging a place on menus… In both India and the U.S., Indian fusion finds a place on menus. Domestic offerings include dishes like Tabla’s braised duck samosas in NYC; seared tuna with avocado raita at Tanzore in Beverly Hills; and fingerling potato masala at Broadway East in NYC. (Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), 5/19)
- Papa Johns’ menu to include whole wheat pizza crust…Jumping on the whole grains band wagon, the national pizza chain is likely the first to offer a whole wheat crust. (Food-Business-Review.com, 5/19)
- Cheesecake Factory to feed a growing taste for Asian cuisine…The chain is about to launch its newest concept, RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen in Los Angeles’ Century Mall, featuring foods from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and India with dishes such as spicy sambal eggplant and green curry chicken with a green mango and papaya salad. (LATimes, 5/26)
- The girl was fast; the gin was sloe…Plymouth gin finally has enough of its limited-supply sloe gin, made the old fashioned way with sloe berries and the English spirit, to import some to the U.S. Prepare for the arrival of sloe gin cocktails and drinks as mixologists rush to the bar with a new ingredient. (Washington Post, 5/27)
- Flavor in full bloom…Flavor-forward chefs and mixologists find that floral flavors and accents offer flavor appeal. (Flavor and the Menu, Spring 2008) Our Indulgence Culinary Trend Mapping Report included a profile on floral flavors like elderberry, jasmine and hibiscus.
NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES
June 2008Fancy Food Show Highlights: In Chicago this spring, I spotted some intriguing new products that may soon appear at a specialty food store near you. PistachioOats caught my eye thanks to a cute logo and my interest in heart-healthy oats. This round cookie patty tastes pretty darn good with a cup of tea and it really satisfies. Napa VinJus is a crisp, refreshing non-alcoholic grape juice positioned as an alternative to wine with dinner. Made by the folks who produce grapeseed oil in the Napa Valley, it comes in handsome green wine bottles. Wholemato Agave Ketchup was a surprising winner over at the neighboring Organic Trade Association show. I love the tangy, not-too-sweet flavor.
- Cargill introduces Truvia natural sweetener brand, the first natural, zero-calorie, great-tasting sweetener… Truvia, a branded sweetener, is derived from the stevia plant. Leaves are steeped in water and the water is then purified to make a sweet ingredient 200 times sweeter than sugar. A study attesting to its safety was recently published in the scientific journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Cargill.com, 5/15) Jan Matsuno, our Director of Commercialization, adds that "despite a recent press release and an extensive safety study, samples of Truvia, Cargill’s new stevia-derived rebiana sweetener, are unavailable because the substance has not yet been granted food grade status by the FDA. Asked about the introduction, Cargill representative Colleen Ness expressed the company’s desire to be first to market. So while it remains to be seen if the FDA will abandon its historical prohibition against stevia in food, the race for the sweet(ener) prize is on - stay tuned!"
- New Friendship Cottage Cheese boosts digestive and bone health…This is the first all-natural cottage cheese with probiotic cultures and prebiotic fiber. (PRNewswire.com, 5/22
- Kashi Company helps people on-the-go eat better with all-natural frozen pocket sandwiches…
Three new Pocket Bread sandwiches are made with Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame blend pockets and hold fillings with flavorful vegetables, zesty sauces and marinated chicken and turkey. (Businesswire.com, 5/28) - News from the Candy Expo: Wrigley, Cadbury, Hershey’s Sweet on functional candy…The sweets now better match consumer expectations for functional benefit delivery. Wrigley Eclipse gum and mints will contain magnolia bark extract, a natural bacteria-killing ingredient to mask bad breath; Hershey offers Ice Cube White chewing gum to sparkle teeth. (Brandweek, 5/25)
- Sweet photos… The trend at the Expo is customized, personalized candy carrying messages. Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms, Mars’ Dove Promises can now all deliver a message or image. (Chicago Sun Times, 5/26)
- As seen in a Culinary Trend Mapping Report:
Get your greens…Our upcoming Trend Report will profile the emerging health and wellness trend of what we’ve dubbed “huetrition” or nutrition by color. One example of this is Knorr’s Eat in Color soup line in Europe. Not available here yet, Knorr does offer new Sides Plus Veggies, coming soon. (Brandweek, 5/28)
FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY HEADLINES
June 2008Sustainability Issues: Recent study reveals that most consumers don't know what "Sustainability" is. BuzzBack, New York, found that only one in three people were "familiar" or "very familiar" with the term and its meaning. A little more than half of U.S. and U.K. residents agreed that "the environment is the most important issue" yet only 19% of each were willing to make sacrifices. (Brandweek, 5/20)
- Healthy Fast Food announces new location for EVOS Feel Great Fast Food…EVOS offers healthier versions of American favorites like burgers, fries and shakes by baking and using high quality, healthy ingredients. The newest EVOS opens in Las Vegas in late summer. (Yahoo.com, 5/20)
- Restaurants serve new sustainability initiatives… The NRA announced new initiatives aimed at helping restaurateurs implement eco-friendly business practices. The plan, “Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability” includes a website with advice, case studies, best practices and no-cost ideas. (Greenbiz.com, 5/20)
- The rise of the “Locavore”: How the strengthening local food movement in towns across the U.S. is reshaping farms and food retailing…Growing farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA) buying, farm-to-school-district buying, and local foods in mega-retailers are all results of the excitement around the local food movement. (Business Week, 5/20)
- Dunkin’ Donuts to open its first “green” unit… The chain is building its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified unit in St. Petersburg, Fla. The franchise will feature insulated concrete foam walls, energy-efficient lighting, low flush toilets and the use of well water. (NRN, 5/22)
- Whey industry hoping for innovative future…Whey’s days as a simple by-product appear to be over as the industry increasingly looks to tap into the potential health and functional benefits of whey protein, which include weight management and satiety. (DairyReporter.com, 5/23)
- El Sabor de Mexico…CCD writer John Birdsall explores the world of regional Mexican cuisine in the Bay Area and discover authentic flavors and recipes from Jalisco, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Yucatan and Sinaloa. (San Francisco, May)
- As seen in a Culinary Trend Mapping Report:A New Buzz: The days of dark roasts and triple soy lattes are coming to an end… As we profiled in our Specialty Cafés report in early 2007, specialty coffee roasters continue to make inroads into the Bay Area coffee culture. New players include Luigi DeRucco’s Coffee Bar and Trouble Coffee Company who join stalwarts Ritual Coffee Roasters (with a new outlet in Napa’s trendy Oxbow Market Hall) and Blue Bottle Coffee doing a brisk business at its Mint Plaza location. (San Francisco Magazine, May)
- Hot Stuff: Spices… Bon Appétit features five spices and condiments in the spotlight. We covered several in our 2007 Culinary Trend Mapping Report on Spices: piri-piri sauce, harissa, Aleppo pepper, shichimi togarashi and Indonesian sambal oelek. (Bon Appétit, May)