McCormick Flavour Forecast 2012 predicts future culinary trends

How does eggplant with harissa and honey sound for dinner? Or blueberry with cardamom and corn masa? Perhaps grapefruit with red pepper is more to your liking.

McCormick’s Flavour Forecast 2012 has certainly predicted some interesting emerging culinary trends for the coming years. Although some of the flavour combinations might seem unusual, McCormick said that “flavours showcased in past reports have moved once-edgy ingredients into mainstream popularity”.

Spiced duck arepas with blueberry port sauce.

Alan Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO of McCormick, said, “As an extension of our leadership in the flavour market, we are uniquely posed not only to forecast emerging flavours and trends, but to really impact the future of flavour with this report.”

In previous years, multiple forecasts have been released, each specific to a particular region. In 2012, McCormick claims this forecast - its first global edition - “reveals a singular set of forces driving what we will eat across the globe in coming years”. The forecast is available in multiple languages.

The forecast identified six key emerging trends: Honouring Roots, Quest for the Ultimate, Veggies in Vogue, Simplicity Shines, Flavourful Swaps and No Boundaries.

The report offers recipes for the forecasted flavour trends, such as cucumber-herb gazpacho with watermelon croutons, braised cod with gingered carrot-coconut sauce and spiced duck arepas with blueberry port sauce.

“If there’s one thing the food lovers of the world have in common, it’s that we approach eating with greater curiosity than ever before and really celebrate the enjoyment of it,” said Simone Fergie, Culinary Development Chef at McCormick Foods Australia.

“We have a very strong food culture in Australia and our culinary trends are certainly tracking in the same direction as other parts of the world.”