• Stage 1: In upscale dining, ethnic and popular independent
restaurants
• Stage 2: In magazines (Bon Appetit) and stores (Sur La Table) targeting culinary professionals and serious home cooks
• Stage 3: In mainstream chains (Applebee’s, Chili’s) and stores
(Williams-Sonoma) targeting recreational cooks
• Stage 4: Mainstream magazines (Family Circle, Better Homes and Gar-
dens) pick up the buzz
• Stage 5: Appears in quick-serve restaurants and starts or gains in-
creased presence on mainstream grocery store shelves.
“T“The top five most exciting trends include Peruvian, Moroccan, Korean, Japanese and ‘New’ Southern regional American cuisine.”
Stage 1 is the esoteric, exploratory phase where more unique ingredients, dishes and cooking techniques from global cuisines are presented to adventurous diners. Stage 2 is a confirmation of growing
appeal, branching out from the upscale and local ethnic establishments to a broader base.
Many formulators and processors are entering a particular culinary
trend development between Stage 2 and Stage 3—perhaps starting
with ingredients and products for the commercial kitchen, especially
when fast preparation is required. Rather than custom-create sauces
or seasoning blends for Moroccan-based tagines or stews, chefs and
commercial cooks can work with processors to formulate specific
products and have those readily available in whatever form is most
effective. The process where some of the ingredients are made from
scratch and others are pre-prepared to facilitate production is often
called “speed scratch.” It’s like the Rachael Ray version for commercial
cooking.
Whether producing frozen or
shelf-stable entrees, bottled sauces,
dressings, spices, seasoning blends
or teas and beverages for global
cuisines, the trends are driving for
regional authenticity.
According to Suvir Saran, co-exec-utive chef of the acclaimed Indian
restaurant Devi in New York, Indian
cuisine can basically be broken into
4 broad categories, Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern, obviously
with variations within those regions.
The herbs and spices used in those regions are generally grown there
as well. “In northern India we have the Garam Masalas, the hot mixes,
which have cumin, coriander, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg
and mace, so the spices are a little warmer. In southern India we have
Amy’s Kitchen was one of the first in the organic
industry to create a line based on ethnic flavors.
curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenu-
greek seeds and chili peppers that are
fried in oil, bloomed in oil to bring
out their essential flavors.”
Dishes featuring dhals (lentils and
beans as stews or soup), kormas
(creamy sauce with braised meat or
veggies) and paneers (fresh cheese
with veggies) with rich, flavorful
sauces, served with rice and Indian
breads, are popular as frozen entrees
and as shelf-stable packaged meals for
quick and easy dining-in with an eth-
nic twist. While consumers love the
taste of Indian food, many perceive
the preparation of Indian meals to be
daunting and time-consuming. Jarred
curry and masala simmer sauces are
making Indian food more familiar to
American cooks, who create their
own fusion cuisine at home blending
India’s traditional sauces and season-
ings with American-style roasted
chicken and vegetables.
Julie Sahni, author and Indian
food authority from New York, NY
comments, “In Indian cooking, the
principles lie in handling of spices,
even though it’s a single subject, it’s a
whole world.”
This principle applies not only to
foods; if you thought chai was simply
spiced tea made popular by Star-
bucks, think again. Tea drinkers are
becoming as educated as wine con-
noisseurs, seeking regional varieties of
herbal as well as white, green and
black teas from around the globe.
Traditional Indian Chai Masala typi-
cally starts with a base of a strong
black tea such as Assam and has mul-
tiple spices determined by regional
traditions including cardamom, white
pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, gin-
ger, star anise, cloves, nutmeg and
others. Suppliers and formulators
need to become equally educated and
be prepared to source ingredients for
the unique regional products being
requested by manufacturers and ulti-
mately by consumers.
