It’s no secret that global cuisines are in demand with consumers these days, even more so than ever before. Among the many, many cuisines that are showing substantial growth in both foodservice and retail are several that hail from Asia. Consumers from around the world are obsessed with Asian cuisine, with quite a few Asian foods and flavors trending right now. Keep reading for more on why consumers love Asian cuisine – and our insights into which Asian foods and flavors are sure to be a hit with consumers.
Why Asian Cuisine?
There are numerous reasons why consumers are craving Asian cuisine. Health and wellness have been top-of-mind for consumers since the onset of the pandemic, and as a result, they’re focusing on incorporating healthier ingredients into their diets. Enter Asian cuisine, which has a reputation for being healthy. According to Mintel, 42% of consumers perceive Asian cuisine to be healthy. Loaded with fermented ingredients, vegetables, seafood, and more healthy ingredients, consuming Asian cuisine is an easy way for consumers to improve their diets.
Not only is Asian cuisine healthy, but many of the flavors and ingredients that are commonly featured in Asian cuisine happen to be trending right now. Consumers are loving spicy foods, fermented ingredients, and sour flavors, for example. Matcha and complex spice blends are also on the rise, and their prominence in Asian cuisine is attracting trend-conscious consumers.
What Asian Foods and Flavors are Trending?
Although Asian cuisines are trending across the board, there are a few that have shown exceptional growth recently. Korean cuisine is all the rage right now, as consumers have been gravitating towards spicy fermented foods and flavors, like kimchi and gochujang. Not only that, but they’re loving Korean BBQ and Korean street foods. With these foods becoming more familiar with consumers, there’s a huge opportunity for brands to bring flavors inspired by these dishes to a variety of products, like snacks, sauces, and frozen meals.
Beyond Korean cuisine, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine have also seen substantial increases in demand, with consumers gravitating toward them, due, at least in part, to their perceived healthiness. Chinese and Japanese cuisine will always be in favor with consumers, too, thanks to their familiarity.
From exotic curries and spicy noodle dishes to rolled ice cream and boba, Asian dishes and beverages have captivated consumers – and have even gone viral on social media platforms in recent years. When it comes to Asian cuisine, there’s something for everyone. It’s got mainstream appeal, in the form of familiar favorites like Pad Thai, but there are also super exotic options that are sure to delight adventurous consumers. This allows brands a lot of room when it comes to innovating with Asian food and flavor inspiration.
Get inspired by the many dishes and flavor profiles that consumers are growing increasingly familiar with – and especially those that have shown growth in foodservice – and translate them into exciting new products for consumers.
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