McCormick’s 2017 flavour forecast

For the 17th year McCormick has released its annual Flavour Forecast, a guide for trends and ingredients from around the world.

“Each year, our Flavour Forecast reveals the top trends that inspire home cooks, chefs, foodies and culinary aficionado’s to broaden their palates, and introduce new flavours to their plates and menus,” said McCormick executive chef Juriaan Snellen in a release announcing the new forecast.

Following are the five flavour trends identified for 2017:

• Ethnic breakfasts – Bold breakfast options recommended include a hash of chickpeas, ground lamb or beef, and roasted vegetables topped with a spicy skhug [shug] sauce—a Middle Eastern hot sauce made with Thai chilies, cumin, cardamom, coriander, garlic, parsley, cilantro, olive oil and lemon juice.

• Plancha: Flat-Out Grilling – Hailing from Spain, France’s Basque region as well as Mexico, the plancha (a thick, flat slab of cast iron) is growing in popularity for creating a sizzling, smoky sear and flavour crust. Grillers can easily use the plancha with meats, seafood and vegetables, paired with bold sauces, rubs and glazes.  A smoky, sweet and mildly hot flavour comes from the Espelette [es-PE-let] pepper, originating from the Basque region of France.

• Egg Yolks: The Sunny Side of Flavour – Egg yolks leave breakfast, chefs are pairing tem with a range of spices, herbs and sauces on lunch and dinner menus. Mediterranean vegetable shakshuka [shahk-SHOO-kah] sunny-side-up egg yolks simmered in a tomato and vegetable sauce make a rustic supper. Shakshuka , flavoured with a savoury spice blend of smoked paprika, cumin, pepper, cayenne, turmeric and caraway.

• Modern Med – Melding Eastern Mediterranean ingredients with Western European classics, for example a Persian minestrone, combining Persian Ash-e reshteh [OSH-e-resh-tay] a thick, hearty soup made with beans, herbs, turmeric and flat noodles.

• Sweet on Pepper – The new sweet heat. With an up-front bite and lingering sensation, peppercorns are capturing the spotlight. Their cedar and citrus notes pair with up-and-coming naturally sweet ingredients like dates and dragon fruit.

More details on the 2017 Flavour Forecast can be found here.