October 2024
Blog – Trends Digested – October 2024
Welcome to Trends Digested, our bi-monthly look at the flavours and styles making waves in the diverse and exciting world of foodservice and hospitality. As we approach the half-way point of the year, we’re delving into the latest flavour trends with insights from our friends at Lumina Intelligence and The Food People. Our goal? To help operators to bring these red hot trends straight into the kitchen.
This time around, we’re throwing the spotlight on our Flavour of the Year - Tamarind - with the help of Karan Gokani, Co-founder and Creative Director of the popular Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant group, Hoppers.
Read on for more inspiration.
Dishes with a true sense of authenticity are on the rise, with Lumina Intelligence revealing that restaurant and pub menus are looking beyond typical classifications1. Operators are seeking innovative dishes that align with consumer trends towards more Asian-inspired, healthy, and exciting options1. Asian cuisine and spicy food are currently leading the food-to-go trends2, with Sri Lankan dishes being particularly “hot” for 20241.
This trend ties in nicely with our 2024 Flavour of the Year, Tamarind. This unique fruit brings a tangy twist to dishes, effortless cutting through richness and heat. Stand-out flavours and ingredients like Tamarind are revolutionizing menus, adding layers of flavour and balancing rich dishes. We are seeing a reinvention of regional-traditional cooking, with these combinations paying homage to diverse cultural backgrounds, whilst elevating flavour profiles. Also spotted by Diageo as a key trend this year, Tamarind and the like are driving tropical-based food experiences, giving bursts of flavour to consumers3.
Look out for more from McCormick on this hot trend in 2024. Take a look at the products in our range to take heat and flavour to new levels at www.mccormickforchefs.co.uk.
The Food People highlight Tamarind’s versatility in global cuisines, delivering a trendy sour kick to stews, dips and dressings4. Popular pairings include chilli heat and deep umami, which adds a twist to traditional cuisines while packing a flavourful punch. Already a favourite in Indian cuisines, Tamarind is making its way into less traditional territories, enhancing sticky glazes and dressings for flavour complexity and layering. Chefs are using tamarind to awaken sweet-sour taste buds, cutting through smoke and add dimension to big-hitting savoury dishes4. The sour flavour trend is paving the way for ingredients like Tamarind to add unexpected twists to classic dishes.
Karan Gokani brings this trend to life, showcasing how to use Tamarind flavours in less traditional recipes, helping chefs to familiarise themselves with its unique flavour in Indian and Thai dishes. Here, he creates a ‘spiked’ Tamarind dressing, made with Cholula Hot Sauce, Tamarind pulp, olive oil, black pepper, salt, honey, ginger, and garlic. This dressing is perfect for topping a quick and delicious salad.
On the dish, he said: “This recipe is inspired by chaats from India. These are common street side snacks packed with flavour, texture, and spice. There's a yoghurt chaat in particular that’s made with tamarind chutney, herbs, crisps, and onions. I tried to distill these flavours into a more accessible western dish, that's perfect for summer here in the UK. This fresh tomato and burrata salad gets a tangy smokiness from tamarind and a kick from some Cholula hot sauce – a perfect combination."
Check out Karan’s recipe and accompanying how to video here: Enjoy!
1)Lumina, Trends-to-watch, December 2023
2)Lumina, Food-to-go Trends, March 2024
3)Diageo, Flavour Forecast, June 2024
4)The Food People, Food-to-go trends, 2024