McCormick® Flavour Forecast® Announces Second Quarterly Flavour Trend of 2019: ‘Mexicana Vegana’ - Two powerful foodie styles have finally become one

Vegan Mexicana

The Need For Seed

Flavour Forecast, which has been highlighting fresh flavour insights and inspiration from around the globe for nearly 20 years, revealed ‘Mexicana Vegana’ (Mexican Vegan) as the next flavour in focus.

You may not have noticed that this amazing duo is appearing on restaurant menus and in food halls in major cities around the world. McCormick & Company, Inc., which produces Flavour Forecast, has been tracking this fusion and predicts home cooks and foodservice operators will soon adopt Mexicana Vegana.

Mexican food is one of the most beautiful, fresh and flavourful cuisines and continues to grow in popularity, with more than 237 million Americans who enjoyed Mexican food and ingredients in 2018. Also, more than ever, consumers are leaning into meatless meals with a conscious focus on the environment and their wellness goals.

“It’s the two together, looking at Mexican food through a vegan lens, that appeals,” said McCormick Executive Chef, Kevan Vetter. “Some consumers hear vegan and are intimidated. We found that leaning into familiar foods is a great entry into this trend.”

With classic bold spices and ingredients found in Mexican cooking like smoky dried chilies, bright citrus, cumin, garlic and onions, vegan dishes can deliver the uncompromising flavours that everyone wants. Simple techniques like shredding aubergine and mushrooms to mimic pulled pork and crumbling chick peas to replace chorizo sausage makes great meatless fillings for tacos, tortas and tostadas.

“We developed new Mexican vegan recipes to encourage experimentation. There’s a cauliflower queso sauce, butternut squash tacos al pastor, no-churn vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and more,” said Vetter.

Watch videos and download recipes on flavorforecast.com. Learn more about Mexicana Vegana street foods, simple techniques for meatless mains, and non-dairy desserts like the classic tres leches cake.

Follow @flavorforecast on Instagram for always-on flavour news including weekly inspiration and insider content from global experts, chefs and influencers.

Statistica (2018, September). U.S.: Consumption of Mexican food and ingredients 2018 | Statistic. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/281028/us-households-consumption-of-mexican-food-and-ingredients/