Ethnic flavors ride a heat wave

Prepared Foods, March, 1999 by Laura A. Brandt

Food companies pour on ethnic flavors and ingredients to feed consumers' taste for fire and spice.

Flavor... the Spanish call it sabor and the French, saveur. The Germans say geschmack and the Italians, sapore. Whether you spell it "flavor" or "flavour," when it comes to today's array of ethnic flavor combinations, adventuresome eaters are in for a treat.

Restaurants set the pace when it comes to introducing and experimenting with ethnic cuisines. Both American- and foreign-based food companies have followed suit by introducing ethnic convenience foods.

With the influx of immigrants, increase in world travel, and increased availability of ethnic ingredients, Americans' tastes have shifted to more exotic flavor combinations. Here we examine ethnic flavors and cuisine from three perspectives: culinary trends, food industry insights, and basic flavor research.

Ethnic: The "In" Food Group

Growth in the ethnic food category is about 6-7% a year, compared to yearly overall food industry growth of about 5%, according to a 1999 Datamonitor report on ethnic foods. As of last year, the ethnic food category was 7% of the entire U.S. food industry, valued at $705 billion, according to the report.

The approach to ethnic cuisine has drastically changed over the years. "In the past, ethnic was denigrated as lower class - people were labeled as 'chili eaters,' or 'garlic eaters,' and so on," says Elisabeth Rozin, a Havertown, Penn.-based food historian and author of several cookbooks on ethnic foods, ingredients and flavors. "After we learned that the traditional high-fat, meat-based American diet was bad for us, we began to reexamine ethnic foods. Now chili peppers, spices, legumes, garlic, and grains are viewed as healthful."

Ingredients used in many ethnic cuisines, such as ginger, lemongrass, exotic mushrooms, quinoa, couscous, chipotle chilies, and infused/olive oils, appear on the National Restaurant Association's (NRA) "hot" list, according to their "What's Hot...What's Not" Survey for 1998.

Over the past decade, flavor and seasoning companies have seen increased demand for ethnic ingredients. Many offer "ethnic" flavor and seasoning lines. Various trends have emerged as a result of the ethnic boom:

* Increasing heat levels. Since 1980, Americans' consumption of chili peppers has doubled to almost six pounds per capita, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service. Also, red pepper usage has nearly tripled over the last two decades, according to the American Spice Trade Association.

"More of our customers are asking for increased heat intensity when it comes to the heat sensations from the capsicums - the threshold is moving up the heat scale," says Donna Immel, R&D director for an ingredient supplier.

"Hot and spicy foods are exciting and stimulating," says Barry Green, Ph.D., who researches capsicum compounds at Yale University (see sidebar). Green confides that he and his wife add hot sauce to their spaghetti sauce to perk it up. Several spaghetti sauce manufacturers have added red pepper to their blends, as well as increased garlic levels to meet consumer demands for more flavorful versions.

* Greater authenticity. The word "authentic" is evident in various flavor and seasoning lines. "We have seen the growth in popularity of authentic ethnic foods, but it takes time to gain acceptance by Americans," says Immel. "People are not asking for Mexican flavors anymore, they are identifying regions such as Yucatan, Jalisco, etc.," she adds.

"We don't compromise on [authentic] taste at all," says Swati Elavia, Ph.D., R.D., president of Essence of India Inc., Edina, Minn. Elavia, who is a former nutritionist with General Mills, started a line of Indian foods three years ago. Products include chutneys, spice blends and sauces. "I have decreased the heat levels slightly in my product line in order to gain wider appeal," she says.

* Increased flavor impact. Americans are craving more and more flavor. "I think people are becoming more conscious of flavor - they want food that really tastes good," says Rafael Toro, director of public relations for Goya Foods, Secaucus, N.J.

Chili pepper has become the single most widely used spice in the world, except for salt, says Rozin. Consumers today are more aware of the various types of chili peppers, which add heat and flavor, due to their increasing availability at supermarkets. "We have extensively profiled the flavor and heat levels of different varieties of chili peppers and combined them in unique ways for blends that appeal to all segments of the food industry," says Chris Carr, senior marketing director for the same ingredient supplier. (See page 46.)

* Background spice notes. Many flavors are borrowed from ethnic cuisines and used as background flavors to form interesting combinations. "We are seeing higher usage of ginger, which is being driven by the Asian influence," says Immel. "Adding subtle ginger notes to non-Asian foods can add intrigue. Building on the popularity of honey mustard blends, honey ginger flavors work well in glazes, for instance," she says. Several foodservice companies have added subtle ginger notes to chicken glazes and rubs.