McCormick For Chefs® announced the 23rd Edition of the Flavor Forecast, the annual report on the latest culinary trends shaping the way millions of consumers, chefs, and food professionals prepare and enjoy food worldwide. Along with the trends report, the McCormick global culinary team also announced its inaugural Flavor of the Year: Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning.

This year, nearly four dozen global chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers, food technologists, and team members from around the world collaborated by tapping into their own expertise and passion for flavor, uncovering the most stand-out predictions and trends that are identified in McCormick’s Flavor Forecast® 23rd Edition, including:

• Full Flavored Fats: No longer misunderstood, consumers and chefs alike are now using fat, from butters to oils, to impart mouthwatering flavor and creaminess into everyday dishes and drinks, which offer a simple, comforting richness to the kitchen and a more balanced approach to eating.

• Everyday French: Grounded in the techniques and ingredients of French cooking, but democratized for today’s kitchen, French cuisine has never been more approachable while using the best ingredients and culinary techniques to build a harmony of flavors and lay the foundations for food and beverage to come.

• Beyond Heat: We’ve witnessed an exciting evolution to this new, multi-sensorial, layered taste experience that pushes beyond the singularly spicy realm where heat and ingredient pairings come together to shape how heat is perceived and how long it lingers and finishes.

"This year, McCormick is rolling out its most intriguing Flavor Forecast report yet, unveiling key trends that will shape the way that consumers prepare and enjoy foods for the next year," said Kevan Vetter, Executive Chef, Senior Director of Culinary for McCormick. "With the inaugural Flavor of the Year, Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning, McCormick is demonstrating the culinary masterpiece that emerges when cuisines are combined.”

McCormick will bring the trend report to life through its first-ever official Flavor of the Year, Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning, which is a bright, complex reflection of the innovations in food and flavor taking place on a global level. With influences in French cuisine and a prominence of heat throughout both, the seasoning is a culture crush of key ingredients – cayenne and paprika in classic Cajun tradition and lemongrass, garlic, and black peppercorn, customary in Vietnamese recipes – that complements each Flavor Forecast trend identified for 2023.

About the Flavor Forecast
Since 2000, the McCormick® Flavor Forecast® has identified top trends and ingredients to discover the tastes of tomorrow. For over 130 years, McCormick & Company has been guided by a passion for flavor. This passion drives our constant pursuit of what's next in flavor. Created by a global team of McCormick experts — including chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers and food technologists — the Flavor Forecast inspires culinary exploration and innovation around the world. Visit www.flavorforecast.com to learn more.

Click here to view the Gold Medal Classroom article, “Forecasting Future Flavors,” which detailed how the 2022 Flavor Forecast was created. Also, click here to view the 22^nd Edition of the Flavor Forecast.

Photos courtesy of McCormick For Chefs®.