Perfumer & Flavorist recently reported the flavor trends for 2012 (information was obtained via Sensient Flavors, a company that specializes in such predictions.) They sound interesting, and I am particularly curious where black garlic and peach-rosemary flavors might show up.
“Aji Amarillo—Native to South America, the orange aji amarillo chile flavor offers a profile that features medium heat and fruity notes.
Black Garlic—Popular in Asian cuisine, black garlic is fermented garlic that offers a sweet, syrupy flavor.
Coriander—The seed of the coriander plant, this spice is native to the Middle East, southern Europe and Asia, and offers a fragrant profile with citrus and warm spice notes.
Honeycrisp Apple—Introduced in 1991 by University of Minnesota breeders, the honeycrisp apple offers a complex apple flavor profile with sweet, tart and juicy notes.
Lucuma—[a fruit] from South America, the lucuma offers a sweet flavor profile with notes of maple, sweet potato and caramel.
Peach Rosemary—A flavor that combines the fresh, juicy profile of peach with the earthy, piney and aromatic notes of rosemary.
Pink Peppercorn—A dried berry from the Baies rose plant, the pink peppercorn offers a sweet, warm and spicy profile with earthy and citrus undertones.
Plum—Cultivated throughout the world, plum offers a sweet, tart and juicy profile.
Spicy Caramel—A twist on the classic caramel profile, spicy caramel offers subtle spice and heat notes in combination with the sweet brown profile of caramel.
Varietal Vanilla—Sourced from the three main vanilla plant varieties used for extraction, vanilla profiles from different growing regions such as Madagascar, Mexico, Indonesia, India and Tahiti offer subtle nuances on the classic vanilla profile.” Read the rest of the article here.
Photograph © Bois de Jasmin
8 Comments
Andy: I hope to see coriander pop up in food this year. It’s definately one of my favorite spices. January 10, 2012 at 5:39am
Suzanna: Notice how these notes as cooking accents lag behind their use as perfume accents.
Just this list gives me ideas for desserts (plum, spicy caramel, varietal vanilla) and a treatment for a flank steak (black garlic, aji amarillo).
I already know I will never be able to find any of them in rural Florida. January 10, 2012 at 7:53am
lenore jago: We have been enjoying an orgy of Honeycrisp apples this fall. As a flavor, it’s right up there with Macouns. January 10, 2012 at 9:10am
sariah: Yay for Aji Amarillo – a very tasty staple of Peruvian food. My husband is from Peru and makes a favorite dish with this called Aji de Gallina. It’s shredded chicken in a creamy sauce with yellow chilis (aji amarillo) as a main ingredient. Lima isn’t a very nice city, but I would go there for a week just to eat. January 10, 2012 at 12:23pm
Victoria: It is one of my favorites too. The burnt orange accent gives it such an interesting zesty-smoky character. Crackers with coriander would be so good. January 10, 2012 at 9:04am
Victoria: Or iced tea with peach and rosemary, plum and pink peppercorn tart… Must go and find some breakfast! 🙂 January 10, 2012 at 9:06am
Victoria: I love the rose note in this apple. And the crunch. It is really like no other dessert apple. January 10, 2012 at 9:14am
Victoria: I have not had much Peruvian food, but I would love to explore more. Now, aji amarillo is something I use time to time in my experiments, and I love the flavor. Your description of Aji de Gallina is wonderful. January 10, 2012 at 4:37pm