Schwartz, in partnership with parent company McCormick, a global leader in flavour, uncovers the future of flavour and releases its first ever global Flavour Forecast 2012. An international panel of chefs, sensory scientists, trend trackers, marketing experts and food technologists from Schwartz and McCormick collaborated to identify the trends and flavours. This year's report reveals the surprising finding that the trends driving our food choices are strikingly similar from region to region, even through the specific foods and ingredients we enjoy are rooted in our local cultures.
This Flavour Forecast showcases six global trends brought to life through regional flavour combinations and food experiences.
In the UK, Schwartz is collaborating with Chef Maria Elia, who has added her twist on Flavour Forecast by developing six contemporary new recipes appealing to the UK palate.
“Being on top of culinary and flavour trends is something I’m passionate about as a chef, so it's a pleasure to work with Schwartz on their Flavour Forecast 2012. I get to experiment with my love of flavour combinations and create innovative recipes, applying a fresh perspective on tradition that balances modern tastes and cultural authenticity. It's a fun and exciting challenge; a global adventure to inspire the palate!”
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HONOURING ROOTS 
Celebrating the root of a cuisine - be it an ingredient combination, signature dish or cooking method—is a renewed global priority. As cultures evolve, preserving the integrity of regional flavours is crucial to honouring their heritage, even as lifestyles continue to change. Chefs inspired by foundational flavours and cooking styles are applying a fresh perspective that balances modern tastes and cultural authenticity.
AUBERGINE WITH HONEY & HARISSA
WORLDLY VEGGIE WITH SWEET HEAT. Aubergine is a diverse and global favourite that often replaces meat in dishes because of its substantial texture and hearty flavour. Naturally sweet honey and the fiery North African condiment, harissa, add unique intensity, elevating aubergine to a starring role in many international cuisines.
KOREAN PEPPER PASTE WITH SESAME, ASIAN PEAR & GARLIC
BBQ WITH A GLOBAL TWIST. In Korean barbecue, powerful ingredients combine in an intricate harmony for the senses. Gaining popularity as a result of interest in global street food and regional live- fire specialties, chefs are celebrating the balance inherent in this tasty heritage—dazzling the taste buds with a unique combination of sweet, sour, savoury and bitter.
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QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE
Culinary explorers are seeking out combinations that create powerful, harmonic bursts of elemental flavours for the ultimate taste experience. For some, this equals superlative quality; for others, it is about a patchwork of textures, colours and layers of enjoyment.
DILL WITH MINT, MELON & CUCUMBER
THE ULTIMATE REFRESHER. The supremely cooling blend of cucumber and melon gets an invigorating kick from lively dill and mint. Prized in Turkish, Greek and African cooking for the cooling refreshment they bring, the winning combination of dill and mint adds both an unexpected savoury backbone and a subtle herbal sweetness.
MEYER LEMON WITH LEMON THYME, LIMONCELLO & LEMON PEEL
THE ULTIMATE LEMON. With its mellow acidity, Meyer lemon mingles with the familiar, pleasing bitterness of lemon peel, the sweetness of Limoncello and the citrusy, herbal notes of lemon thyme. The result is a bracing symphony of ingredients that showcases the lemon’s multi-dimensional flavour profile.
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VEGGIES IN VOGUE
Veggies have long suffered from overcooking, over saucing and lack of inspiration. Those days are finally over, thanks to the enthusiasm of chefs, the quality of seasonal produce and the unstoppable growth of fresh markets. Showcased through new cooking techniques and inventive bursts of flavour, it’s finally the vegetable’s time to shine.
AUBERGINE WITH HONEY & HARISSA
WORLDLY VEGGIE WITH SWEET HEAT. Aubergine is a diverse and global favourite that often replaces meat in dishes because of its substantial texture and hearty flavour. Naturally sweet honey and the fiery North African condiment, harissa, add unique intensity, elevating aubergine to a starring role in many international cuisines.
SQUASH WITH RED CURRY & PANCETTA
VERSATILE VEGGIE WITH A TOUCH OF THAI. Red curry brings an air of the exotic to adaptable squash, for a match that can be enjoyed throughout the seasons. This spicy curry blend warms up winter squashes, while waking up summer varieties. Savoury pancetta adds a hip twist, thanks to the world’s passion for cured meats.
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SIMPLICITY SHINES
The most memorable food is often the simplest. Cooks are focusing on quality ingredients with simple preparations. Clear, unpretentious flavours celebrate the basics – and remind us what real food tastes like.
VANILLA WITH BUTTER
PURE ESSENTIALS FOR REAL GOODNESS. Sumptuous vanilla is one of the most unmistakable flavours on earth. When vanilla is paired with the creamy richness of butter, this essential duo elevates baked goods. New savoury applications bring the pairing to the forefront, transforming everyday meals into simple indulgences.
GINGER WITH COCONUT
WARM SPICE JOINS TROPICAL FAVOURITE. Ginger’s multi-faceted personality is being celebrated for its endless possibilities for sweet and savoury dishes. Lush, creamy and cool, coconut is a deliciously contrasting—though wonderfully complementary— counterpoint to the intensity of ginger.
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FLAVOURFUL SWAPS
Small changes can help us make consistently better choices for the mind, body and soul – without sacrificing enjoyment. Herbs and spices are a great way to add flavour and improve taste with less fat, salt and sugar.
RED TEA WITH CINNAMON & PLUM
BETTER-FOR-YOU BEVERAGE MEETS FRUIT AND SPICE. Known as rooibos in its native South Africa, caffeine-free red tea has a nutty taste and deep auburn colour. Having conquered the healthy drinks realm, red tea is emerging as a flavour in a wide range of dishes, both savoury and sweet. Juicy plums and warm cinnamon round out this aromatic, antioxidant-powered trio.
GRAPEFRUIT WITH RED PEPPER
A NEW TAKE ON LEMON PEPPER. Grapefruit and red pepper deliver big flavour with purely wholesome ingredients. With a range of bright offerings—juice, zest, pulp— grapefruit meets a similarly versatile match in the exciting assortment of red pepper forms and varieties. An added bonus, this bold, sour-spicy duo also boasts promising metabolism-boosting benefits.
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NO BOUNDARIES
Culinary trailblazers are cooking outside the lines by discovering, reinventing and even playing with food. We now have the freedom to explore and enjoy whatever foods we want, whenever we want. Blending inspirations and shedding the confines of traditional “rules” equals a renewed permission to have fun. From mixing up dayparts to packing the flavour of a whole dish into a single bite, we are guided by a single, simple mantra: anything goes.
BLUEBERRY WITH CARDAMOM & CORN MASA
FROM EVERYDAY TO EXTRAORDINARY. In an unexpectedly delicious collision of influences, an all-American stand-by fruit meets a staple of Mexican cooking and India’s versatile “queen of spices.” The combination bursts with excitement, transcending meal times and regional borders.
SWEET SOY WITH TAMARIND & BLACK PEPPER
SAUCE WITH AN ORIENTAL FLAIR. An indispensable flavouring in its native Indonesia, sweet soy is a savoury-sweet, molasses-like sauce— also known as kecap manis. Together with black pepper and tamarind, these boundary-bending ingredients bring new inspiration to a condiment culture.
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