This interest in bigger flavors that condiments and sauces provide will continue to drive the food market. According to the “Packaged Facts Food Shopper Insights Survey” of March 2011, 53% of U.S. grocery shoppers “somewhat” or “strongly” agree they “like hot and spicy foods.” The percentage rises to 58% among Gen Y adults. The same survey revealed that a majority of adult shoppers seeking global foods purchase Mexican and Chinese/Japanese flavored items. However, a larger percentage of Gen Y adults than adult shoppers in general seek out Indian/South Central Asian and Middle Eastern flavors. This indicates a broad interest in global flavors of all kinds. (See chart “Foreign Fare.”)

One of the easiest ways to provide that much-craved, worldly flavor “kick” is through the addition of a sauce or condiment. Every culture and cuisine has something to bring to the global table. Gen Ys have figured this out, having been raised on meals that include soy sauce, wasabi and tomatillo salsa. Expect them to continue their exploration for new and authentic flavor adventures in the condiment and sauce aisle and on restaurant menus.
Members of the Gen Y group (as well as other demographics) also are big customizers. With Americans’ penchant for mixing and matching cuisines for the sake of thrilling their taste buds—sriracha aïoli, for example—consumers are breaking the rules and creating their own new flavor enhancers and combos. Romesco made with toasted hazelnuts or French Fries baptized with short-rib gravy no longer raise eyebrows.

As tastes for condiments and sauces expand far beyond ketchup, mustard and mayo, diners and home cooks are open to unique ingredients and flavor pairings. This led experts at the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) to profile trends that range from twists on the classics (flavored aïoli), to the Southeast Asian staple sriracha, to the so-called “fifth taste” (umami), to an over-the-top style of Quebec-born, cheese-curd and gravy-topped French fries called poutine.
 

Emerging Sauces and Condiments
The CCD looks to its 80-plus member Chefs’ Council to help identify emerging trends. Through 20 years of experience, a technique called “Trend Mapping” determines which trends are gaining traction. Trend Mapping is guided by the premise that major food trends pass through five distinct stages on their way to the mainstream.

In Stage 1, the ingredient, dish and/or cooking technique appears at upscale dining establishments, ethnic and popular independent restaurants blessed with creative chefs, and among diners with adventurous palates. Poutine is at this stage.

While the CCD has seen aïoli as a dip or chili as a topping, nothing is quite as unique and intriguing as Canadian poutine, the shock-inducing pile of French fries, cheese curds and brown gravy currently peeling out from the food-truck scene and appearing on fine-dining menus. The gravy sauce-—traditionally made from a roux with chicken stock, a can or a packaged mix—enhanced with chewy cheese curds, elevates fries to a new “fork required” experience.

In Stage 2, the item is featured in specialty consumer-oriented food media, such as Food & Wine and Bon Appétit magazines; food blogs; and specialty retail stores serving culinary professionals and serious home chefs. The “Condiments & Sauces: Culinary Trend Mapping Report” places “umami in a bottle” as being at this stage. Umami is called the fifth sense of taste, that of intense richness and satisfaction. Although not a new concept or specific ingredient, it is coming into its own by name on several seasoning products (and even one popular hamburger chain, “Umami Burger”).
Gastrique, a classic French reduction of sugar and vinegar resulting in a thick syrupy sauce, is an example of a sauce at early Stage 2. Gastriques are traditionally used in dishes with meat (and often with fruit) to balance out flavors. A well-known example is duck à l’orange. Today, chefs are using gastriques in new and exciting ways with meat, fish and even in desserts.

Stage 3 is where the item begins to appear in mainstream QSR chain restaurants, such as Applebee’s or Chili’s, as well as retail stores, such as Williams-Sonoma, that target recreational cooks. It also begins showing up on food TV shows. Romesco, a traditional sauce from the Catalan region of Spain made with roasted red peppers, almonds, breadcrumbs, olive oil and garlic, has moved up to Stage 3 by enhancing a number of new chain restaurant dishes. Flavorful, healthful Romesco sauce presents a great opportunity for restaurateurs and food manufacturers to capitalize on its Spanish global heritage and emphasize the intense, rich flavor that can be used in dips, sauces and marinades, at home or in restaurants.
In Stage 4, consumer service magazines and family-oriented publications, such as Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens, are picking up the buzz on the item. It also starts appearing on popular recipe websites. The “Condiments & Sauces” report notes sriracha, a fiery sauce inspired by traditional Southeast Asian hot sauces made from ground chile peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt moved from Vitenamese restaurant tables to upscale restaurant kitchens as complements of staff meals for years.

Sriracha is at Stage 4. Consumers craving heat and spice have since flocked to the stuff, turning it into a cult favorite, especially the U. S.-based Huy Fong Foods Inc. brand “Rooster Sauce.” With only this one major U.S. producer of sriracha, there is definitely room for growth.
Another example of a Stage 4 sauce is chimichurri—an Argentinean herb sauce made with parsley, olive oil, garlic and salt. It appears in many a grilling recipe and, at Stage 4, has just begun peeking out from the seasoning aisle—as it begins to enter Stage 5.
A trend is at Stage 5, when it makes its way to quick-service restaurant menus and is either starting to appear or is having an increased presence on grocery store shelves. Aïoli is at this stage. Aïoli, a versatile French-inspired condiment, which is basically garlic mayonnaise, has infiltrated the U.S. market in every pocket of the food industry, from fine-dining to the “Golden Arches.”

Garlic is the base, but aïolis of various flavors abound—including lemon, basil, chipotle, parsley, harissa and avocado. The ability to add so many varying flavors, while also delivering tasty, creamy richness, drives home aïoli’s potential for new dips, spreads, condiments and accompaniments.