Majority of the chefs would agree that when they combine flavours with different ingredients and profiles, such as sweet and spicy or tangy and smoky, each flavour needs to be given an equal chance to shine out and contribute. Balancing is more important than blending. There’s a growing number of consumers who are ready to explore non-traditional combinations here in India as well as around the globe. This has opened up new possibilities for food and beverage manufacturers to explore new and nontraditional flavour combinations.
There’s a big list of flavour companies in India and around the world ready to provide memorable experiences by introducing a variety of ingredients with unexpected flavour combinations.
Until now, culture and tradition used to guide flavour applications, but now people are more open to experimentations. Salted caramel, chocolate-dipped French fries, sweet and savoury ice-cream are perfect examples of this trend. A recent report suggests that youngsters prefer bold flavours rather than purely salty flavours and would like to see more of sweet and tangy flavour combinations. Those above 35, agreed to have a rising interest in ethnic flavours, especially those flavour combinations with multiple ingredients. Ginger, garlic, chilli, extra heat and a bit of acidic notes appeal them more.
If properly balanced and blended, these multiple flavours activate all the taste buds delivering an intense and mouth-watering experience to the tongue and brain. The brain interprets two different taste signals coming in from two different flavours at a time and it kind of likes it. The rising popularity of sweet and salty snacks and savoury yoghurts are the best examples of this. Especially in India, where dairy flavour manufacturers are offering solutions for a variety of buttermilk and lassi, such as sweet and salty, spiced, masala, etc.
Modern and well-educated consumers want to taste different flavours in every bite. Strong and complex flavour profile seems to be a winning combination at present. But it’s not really that easy to achieve success with every experiment. It involves many factors like flavour intensity, softness or hardness of flavours, sensations, cooling effect, etc. Above all, instinct, experience, and talent play a major role in bringing out winning combinations.
There are few flavours which seem to blend well with each other but it’s not necessary that all opposite flavours attract each other. Bold flavours such as figs and balsamic, ginger and plum, capsaicin and menthol appear to mix well. Additionally, sweet seems to balance out perfectly with savoury, spicy, smokey and sour. One major reason is that maybe we are trained by birth to enjoy sweet flavours. Bitter flavours are very hard to pair with. Again, the reason being that majority of us dislike bitterness. On the other hand, sweet and spicy fusion and pickled/fermented flavours are also growing in popularity.
Finally:
Plenty of opportunities exist for non-traditional and bold flavours, but innovative and balanced combinations seem to provide “wow factor” to consumers’ taste buds. The current trend has proven that flavours know no boundaries and this allows flavour companies and chefs to take the risk of exploring the geography of flavours.
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