Flavors out of Africa
Fuchs North America, Baltimore, includes a Senegalese-style tamarind and coconut snack seasoning in its African collection released this year.
“We’ve combined tamarind, a common ingredient in Senegalese cuisine, with coconut for an exciting profile that works wonderfully on snacks, such as chips and nuts, but also can pair with chicken or fish,” said Elizabeth Lindemer, corporate executive chef for Fuchs North America.
Other flavors in the collection are berbere BBQ seasoning, Maghreb-style boharat seasoning and Mozambique-style piri piri sauce base.
“We noticed how well the berbere blend complemented the flavors found in traditional BBQ,” Ms. Lindemer said. “You’ll want to put this blend on everything from flank steak to popcorn and chips.”
Getting specific in South America
SupHerb Farms, Turlock, Calif., investigated South American and Latin American flavors in its survey of 1,000 people. While 91% said they had tried Mexican cuisine and 60% said they had tried Caribbean, 73% said they were open to trying new Latin cuisines. Breaking it down by country, 58% said they would like to try cuisine from Bolivia, which was followed by Venezuela (55%), Uruguay (55%), Ecuador (55%), Chile (54%), Colombia (53%), Argentina (53%) and Peru (52%).
Fifty-five per cent said they had tried allspice and liked it. Another 26% said they had not tried allspice, an ingredient in Jamaican jerk seasoning that tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, but they would like to try it. Flavors from South America and Latin America include ajis (chili peppers that range from sweet to spicy), sazon (a spice blend with achiote, cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic powder, salt and pepper) and pebre (a Chilean condiment with onion, olive oil, garlic and aji peppers). Guasacaca is a Venezuelan sauce made from avocado, vinegar, parsley, cilantro, garlic and chilies.
Jamaican jerk from the Caribbean could have more of an impact on snack flavors.
“Jerk is, of course, so ingrained in the Americans’ consumer mind as a flavor profile, but its combination of warm spices and heat translates well to snack applications, especially meat snacks or chips,” Mr. Lane said. “That extra bit of indulgence from the fat balances those flavors nicely.”
A survey from Kalsec found Mexican was the most common spicy cuisine in the United States, Ms. Eckert said.
“Flavors in snacks influenced by Mexico and other Latin American countries include multiple types of chilies (such as habanero, jalapeño, cayenne and chipotle) alone and in combination with lime, guacamole and chimichurri,” she said. “Specialty peppers continue to be on trend, and those with Latin American roots are gaining attention and popularity.”
Within the United States, Kalsec works with the Hatch pepper from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico, said Peggy Iler, lead scientist.
“Our expeller-pressed Hatch oleoresin can be applied topically or added directly onto the snack substrate,” Ms. Iler said. “Suggestions include chips, crackers, nuts/seeds, popcorn, meat sticks, dips, cheese and chocolate.”
She added, “Hatch peppers continue to enjoy popularity outside of the southwest United States and northern Mexico. Formulating with Hatch pepper lends authenticity and regionality to products, which is of increasing interest, particularly to millennials.”
