We've reached Peak Flavor
If you've found yourself salivating over menu items or recipes infused with za'atar, saffron, black sesame, cardamom, raspberry-rhubarb or miso lately — you're not alone.
The big picture: Since home cooking boomed among the cooped-up during 2020 lockdowns, palates have expanded and gotten more colorful. Businesses are trying to keep up with the hunger for hyphenated flavor combos and artisanal tastes.
Add the TikTok virality effect, and you've got a whole generation willing to stand in line for the hottest matcha-infused drink or bakery item they can consume and, maybe, post.
"Adding an ingredient that's perhaps, air quotes, unfamiliar to some people is an easy way to riff on a viral recipe," food journalist Bettina Makalintal told The New York Times' Marie Solis. "If tiramisu is having a moment on TikTok, then you might see someone doing matcha tiramisu or ube tiramisu."
State of play: Evidence is everywhere that our flavor cravings are on overdrive, from the new Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha at Starbucks to chef Alison Roman-inspired dinner parties.
Our collective lust for more attainable luxury, particularly in a precarious economic moment, could feed the habit.
The NYT also cites the rising profiles of cooks from Asian and Middle Eastern diasporas, like Yotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem" and Samin Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid Heat." Add to the list: Hetty McKinnon, Salma Hage and Priya Krishna.
The intrigue: It's not just coastal elites.
100-year-old Missouri-based flavor forecaster Beck Flavors named miso caramel one of its flavors of the year, the NYT reports.
"We're getting away from the boring flavors, for lack of a better word," Nick Palank, the company's marketing manager, told the Times. "Hazelnut, French vanilla, coffee."
Case in point: Flavors like Japanese citrus yuzu are popping up everywhere, from Muji stores to mocktail menus.
Pistakio, a 2023 upstart, has launched a pistachio spread to rival peanut butter and almond butter.
Quickly expanding ice cream chain Van Leeuwen is usually ahead of the curve, with flavors like Earl Grey and hot honey long on the menu. And brand partnerships abound: see Jeni's Ice Creams and Fly By Jing chili crisp.
Natalie's thought bubble: During the COVID lockdowns, I got interested in better connecting with my Lebanese heritage through food. I experimented with lots of flavors discussed here, and they've become staples in my household.
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