Successful response to the botanical food trend

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As a producer of herbs and spices, Euroma highly appreciates today's botanical food trend. Botanicals refer to herbs and spices, but also to flowers. In fact, everything you can find in a garden. We expect that botanicals will continue to dominate the world's kitchens in the coming years. In supermarkets, we currently see this trend mainly in cosmetics, (soft) drinks and tea, but only to a limited extent in the other categories. But this will surely change…

Herbs that give your gin and tonic its own unique taste. Chocolate with blueberries and violets.
Hibiscus tea. Colourful, tasteful botanicals are currently important ingredients in trendy food products. The botanical food trend can be explained in many ways. 

Preference for botanicals explained on the basis of the zeitgeist model

The zeitgeist model of trend watcher Peter Heshof also indicates the origin of the botanicals trend.
In the model, it becomes clear at what moment certain primal needs are dominant. The public is currently longing for authentic, pure flavours. Botanicals form an integral part of this trend. Moreover, people are increasingly striving for a complete sensory experience. The discovery of new, surprising flavours and the 'fun' factor play a major role in this. Food producers and chefs are responding by using botanicals to surprise consumers and to reflect the beauty of nature.

 

GREEN | authenticity & nostalgia

In the search for real, authentic food, consumers are returning to what they used to eat.
It's now becoming clear that the botanicals trend is anything but new.

What did you eat and drink when you were little? Who remembers grandmother's chamomile tea, lavender honey or elderflower lemonade? Botanicals are currently being rediscovered.

Not only are the flavours of the past coming back in a new, hip look. The meal is no longer limited to ingredients from the garden. We have access to botanicals from gardens all over the world!

The maker, or in this case the collector, is not forgotten.
The kitchen and flower gardens where you can pick your own ingredients are a real trend. The grower deserves a place on the label. Chefs are showcasing themselves with self-picked mushrooms and herbs.

 

YELLOW | experience & experimenting  

Botanicals are ideally suited to creating a beautiful image on social media.
Instagram is bursting with photos of dishes garnished with flowers and herbs.

Moreover, botanicals increase the complexity of dishes, which is why chefs like to use them to create surprising flavours. Flowers, for example, give a lot of taste and smell to dishes. And by experimenting with herbs and spices, you can achieve true taste explosions.

In order to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle of life, people are pampering themselves more and more. Discovering new and special flavours fits in with this. Botanicals meet the need for a surprising, rich and luxurious food experience.

 

BLUE | health first

We can see from this trend that the preference for botanicals comes about for health reasons. Many plants, flowers and herbs have an alleged medicinal effect.

‘Contains flavonoids and antioxidants', 'has an anti-inflammatory effect' or 'is rich in vitamins, iron and calcium'. Such claims are increasingly common on packaging.

However, the consumer will seek factual subsantiation that will win over a ‘feeling of health’. Take carrot ice cream as an example. A carrot flavoured ice cream suggests that it is healthier - or at least less unhealthy - than say chocolate ice cream. While it actually contains just as much sugar.

In the coming years, this 'suggestion of healthy eating' will prove to be unsatisfactory for more and more people. They will only be seeking food which has a demonstrably positive effect on their body and mind.

 

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Botanical gastronomy

Botanicals play an important role in haute cuisine. Think of Anna Hansen, who runs the Modern Pantry restaurant in London, but grew up in New Zealand and whose mother is of Danish origin and father of Belgian-Swiss descent. Anna Hansen's fusion cuisine combines sustainable seasonal products from England with unusual flavours and textures from all over the world. In the Alpha Beta Bar at her restaurant, they serve cocktails that complement the special dishes and in which fruit and spices play a key role. The drinks menu contains cocktails with exotic ingredients such as cardamom, yuzu and grapefruit.

 

Foraging

The whole world follows with interest the Nordic Cuisine movement from Scandinavia. René Redzepi of the Danish Michelin-starred restaurant Noma and their associates have made foraging - searching in the wild, looking for special ingredients and thus botanicals - a true gastronomic trend. They believe that you should be guided in the kitchen by nature and the seasons, instead of trying to control nature.

 

 

 

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Promising botanicals

When you have access to gardens all over the world, the inspiration in the field of botanicals is endless. This is a selection of botanicals that we have high expectations of:

• Yuzu

  This citrus fruit from Japanese gardens is super-trending. 'Yuzu everything' is a becoming a popular phrase within Euroma. The fruit is a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit. The taste can be described as lemony, yet it has a completely different flavour pattern. Yuzu gives a very nice flavour to sauces, bouillons and soups, but certainly fits with desserts also.

• Poppy Seed
  Poppy seed, is the informal name for the seed of the Papaver somniferum, an opiate. Its origin means that poppy seeds contain a low, almost negligible level of opiates. The seeds give a rich, roasted flavour to dishes thanks to their nutty character. It is widely used in sweet dishes like cakes. The blueberry muffin makes grateful use of the power of poppy seeds. This botanical also comes into its own in oriental dishes.

• Sumac
  This red spice comes from the sumac plant. The fruits of the Rhus Coriaria contain berries with a deep red colour. The berries are dried and ground. The taste is very interesting: sumac gives a fresh and sharp lemony flavour to dishes. Sometimes it can even remind one of tomatoes.
  Perfect for the sweet-sour balance that is so important in a dish. Sumac is typical of Lebanese cuisine. It is one of the most important components of Za'atar. The famous chef, Yotam Ottolenghi uses the spice frequently in his cookery books. In drinks, on grilled meat, on pizza, in a mozzarella salad, in a dip or in houmous. The possibilities of sumac seem endless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Lemongrass
  Lemongrass, or sereh, is the stem of the grass species Cymbopogon citratus. It originally came in large grassy clumps from India. The taste is bitter, but you also have a sour experience because of the lemony scent. When you cook or stew the sereh, the delicious essential oils permeate through the dish. It is widely used in Indonesian cuisine and Thai-Indian cuisine. Lemongrass lends itself well to stews, curries and sweet and sour sauces. ​​​​​​​

• Elderflower
  Edible flowers such as lavender, violets, hibiscus and rose petals are regularly found in food.
  The sweetly scented elderflower has also been completely rediscovered. The blossom is very suitable for use in an infusion; it is widely used with gin and tonic. The flower is also popular in desserts. Not least because the flower of each dish creates a special image.

• Pandan leaf
  The long, narrow leaves of the tropical screw palm are currently trending. Many people know pandan leaves as the flavour enhancer of pandan rice. This great seasoning gives a nutty, roasted flavour to dishes. Whether it's potatoes, pasta, soup or desserts.​​​​​​​