Flavors can be deceptive!

From the simplicity of comforting and familiar beverages to adventurous and indulgent experiences, flavors can be familiar, welcoming, distinctive, addictive and above all deceptive!

Taste is more than just flavor. It’s what drives people to purchase their favorite flavors in foods and beverages. Adventure and indulgence go hand in hand as consumers travel and are ready to explore, this is where fusion pairing come into play.

Social media have influenced with play of colors and textures to try and drive new consumers and penetrate existing ones. Innovative recipes with do-it-yourself meal and cocktail kits for house parties are seen on a rise. Curiosity more than necessity is now the mother of invention – conscious health consumers also need taste delivering the same experience and flavor as indulgent foods do to crave for more.

There’s much more joy in simplicity with ingredient play and association to a reference flavor or aroma tried before and has remained in memory for long. It’s triggered when one smells or tastes similarities and creates common links as to when and where has one experienced this before.

Comforting and nostalgic flavors that mothers and grandmothers created are now most sought after shortening the process and re-creating ingredients through scientific methods keeping the nutrients intact. Age old practices, ingredients and recipes are experiencing a revival. Origin stories and lost traditions are finding a new home amid the post-modernization of food coming full circle to authentic and wholesome experiences.

Convenience for time and value for money are important especially if the products are for daily consumption and not occasional. Roots and Origins of lost flavors and hope have seen a comeback and are infused with added benefits. From extracts to nature derived properties, stronger claims of being sustainable to environment are prioritized and now purpose driven.

The yin yang of the culinary world has seen a revolution and combination of various flavor pairings across geographies with a hint of culturally accepted tastes.

Ingredient in its raw form can be totally different and unpredictable but similar flavor compounds can enhance and add the flavor desired for that format of food or beverage knowing the consumption patterns and exposure to them since childhood.

For example, jamun can be more tannic and bitter due to the skins if processed but a closer blueberry flavor that’s a good replacement with a bit of sweet and sour fruity hints can give a similar color, taste, and texture a jamun has.

Therefore, there’s a more experimentation when it comes to flavors bringing in variety, blend of contrasting tastes, combinations of flavors that work together and thereby creating a palette of flavors that suit the consumer tastes and meet the demand spaces for growth opportunities and gaps to fill.

Flavors truly deceiving can be addictive and fulfilling!

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