Americans embracing traditional Northern European flavors
This new report, “New Old World Cuisine: Culinary Trend Mapping Report", claims that although ‘Old World’ cuisines from France, Italy and Spain have long been embraced in the United States, less well-known food regions in Northern Europe are beginning to gain attention, including foods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Belgium.
CEO of CCD Kimberley Egan said: "We see Americans grabbing hold of the flavors and traditions of these culinary stalwarts and bringing them into the 21st century food landscape. From schnitzel food trucks to the wave of craft beer gardens popping up in city after city, we are clearly reclaiming or embracing the culture and traditions of these Old World nations and refreshing them as our own.”
CCD’s collaborative reports with Packaged Facts are based on trend mapping, which it says is guided by the premise that new flavor trends often go through five distinct phases on their way to becoming mainstream.
New trends tend to emerge at upmarket dining establishments, it says, passing into specialist consumer food magazines and television programs, before being picked up by mainstream chain restaurants, then begin to appear in family-oriented consumer magazines, and finally appear in grocery stores and/or quick service restaurants.
This report identifies Belgian chocolate, Swedish meatballs, Danish cheeses and German sausages as foods that have become mainstream in the United States; Belgian Fry Restaurants and German beer gardens are at the midway point; while tastes that are beginning to appear in upmarket restaurants include Dutch stroopwafels, Scandinavian cloudberries, chef foraging and German pubs.
The report said that Americans are beginning to discover these Northern European foods and flavors as they dig deeper to understand where their food comes from, and look for authenticity in flavors and textures.
Egan said: "It's thrilling to witness the rise of these long under-heralded Old World cuisines within the American food landscape. As consumers continue to seek out excitement and enlightenment through new global cuisines, they will continue to learn how local flavors and foods are born out of culture, an understanding that can enrich and add meaning to our eating experiences."
