Food trends, like fashion, come and go and there’s a lot of money to be made on well-informed guesses. Every year, London-based market research firm, Mintel offers up its projections for popular flavor trends over the upcoming year. The new projections are out. If Mintel’s guesses are correct, we’ll be seeing a lot of these flavors in 2009:

Persimmon: Long a popular fruit in Japan and among Japanese-Americans, persimmons are sweet and tart and lend themselves to a wide range of uses.
Starfruit: Also known as carambola, this must be the starfruit’s second go at trendiness in the US. The funky looking star-shaped fruit grows in tropical climates. I seem to recall its first big appearance in this country back in the 1980s.
Lavender: Popular for its supposed soothing qualities, it’s often an ingredient in bath oils and lotions, but it makes a wonderful addition to many dishes, as well. Try roasting pork or chicken with this herb. I know a baker in San Francisco who uses it to make lavender-and-salt-flavored shortbread.
Nopales: Also known as cactus paddles, nopales has long been a favorite ingredient in Mexican cooking, showing up in everything from stews to salsas to ice cream.
Chimichurri: When you think of foods from Argentina, you probably think of beef, and chimichurri is the classic accompaniment. Chimichurri is a tangy sauce made from parsley or cilantro and – depending upon which region of Argentina you’re from – any number of additional ingredients.
Peri-peri: Chili-heads should be on the lookout for this one. Peri-peri is a chili eaten widely throughout southern Africa, particularly in Angola and Mozambique – both former Portuguese colonies – and has been making inroads into Great Britain with the help of a restaurant chain called Nando’s. The chili’s heat can measure up to 175,000 Scoville Units.
Masala: The Hindi word for “mixture”, masala is probably best known as garam masala, a classic Punjabi blend of spices. Masalas can contain any number of different spices and are usually added to dishes just before they’re served. It's also a great radio station in Trinidad and Tobago.

The projections aren't always correct, of course, and there have been some notable disasters. For food trends gone awry, check out Mental Floss. For more food trend predictions, check out Mintel's restaurant menu trends (PDF file) for next year and Epicurious's predictions for food trends in 2009, as well.

Have questions? I have answers. Write me with your questions about food, cooking, and food and culture, and I'll track down the answers for you.

Topics: Food trends , Mintel , 2009

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