Regional flavours are another trend shaking up the culinary landscape. And, says Ruderman, it’s because consumers are now understanding the differences between regional cuisines. “Five years ago if people talked about Asian cooking they might have made a distinction between Chinese and Szechuan,” he says. Today they’re identifying Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian and Thai. They may even seek out a fusion, such as Viet-Thai or Hakka (Indian Chinese).
Elaine Wells, marketing manager at Griffith Laboratories in Toronto, adds that even the most familiar ethnic flavours – Italian, Chinese and Mexican – are evolving into more regional flavours. So instead of just Italian, consumers are catching onto the specific flavours and ingredients of Sicily or Tuscany. And, says Wells, there’s growing interest in specific regions of Greece and Spain.
Organic food companies may be on to a whole new set of flavours as well. Bill Cawley, manager of product development at Vineland, N.J.-based Eatem Foods Company, says Eatem works with a lot of organic food companies whose clients seem “a little more interested in what’s trendy and what’s cutting edge. And what we’re working on now are North African-Mediterranean type flavours,” he says. “So that means products blending traditional spice arrangements used by Moroccan or Lebanese cuisine.”
As for trying to keep tabs on the next hot flavour trend, they all seem to get their start in foodservice operations, especially the more adventurous ones, says Wells. It’s also foodservice that often first reflects what’s happening in the makeup of the population, as small ethnic restaurants start dotting the neighbourhood. And some say it’s the makeup of the population that is the biggest driver of food trends. As Cawley explains, “definitely the makeup of the population and the immigrant influences – these are the currents going through the food world and those [trends] come out in what people are interested in trying and buying.”
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