McCormick Flavor Solutions® announces the Flavor Forecast 24th Edition, the annual report illuminating the latest trends shaping the way people enjoy flavors worldwide to inspire future product innovations. With this year’s report, McCormick announces its 2024 Flavor of the Year: Tamarind.

Tamarind, a spice native to Africa, India and the Middle East, has lent its acidic, tangy-sweet flavor to Latin, Caribbean and Mexican cuisines for centuries. Today, this plump, pod-like fruit is jet-setting across the world, feeding a global curiosity for what’s next in food, drink and flavor.

Other flavor predictions and trends identified in the Flavor Forecast 24th Edition include:

• Sour Power: From tamarind to coconut vinegar, acidic agents are stepping into the spotlight to open our senses, boost craveability and even help “cook” without heat. Sour is proving it’s not “just another ingredient;” it’s revolutionizing menus, delivering layer on layer of exciting flavor.

• Thoughtfully Borrowed: Authenticity encompasses background, heritage, and experiences - with it comes a reinvention of regional-traditional cooking. Starting with a dash of something that’s “you,” these conscious cultural combinations pay homage and respect to both roots and backgrounds – creating a celebration of flavor, experience and cuisine.

• Indulgence Redefined: A source of pleasure, ritual and community, indulgence comes in all shapes and forms. From time of day to season, flavor sensations link to emotions, memories and all lived experiences. From a crisp, light ceviche to an over-the-top breakfast poutine, it’s about how we treat ourselves through flavor, texture and ingredients that make us happy. Two ways this trend comes to life are through newstalgic and food maximalism. Newstalgic: What’s old is new again, with restaurants re-introducing childhood favorites with a gourmet twist. Food maximalism: By layering flavors and textures in creative, fun and always thoughtful ways, you can experience flavor to the max.

“For nearly 25 years, McCormick has forecasted global flavor trends through our Flavor Forecast report. After all this time, there is still no shortage of trends to uncover which allow us to continue to shake up the way people cook, flavor and eat,” said Tabata Gomez, chief marketing officer at McCormick.

Culinarians can experience the flavor-of-the-year in action with the new Tamarind & Pasilla Chile Seasoning, available online. It will also be featured in several limited-edition, Tamarind-infused menu items at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer – the globally acclaimed burger joint – locations nationwide in February 2024.

“This year, we’re thrilled for people to experience the taste, versatility and tang of Tamarind,” said Hadar Cohen Aviram, executive chef and senior manager, Culinary Development, US Consumer at McCormick. “It is the perfect ingredient to incorporate in savory and sweet dishes which is evident through the creative, flavorful, limited-time dishes we are proudly co-developing with Black Tap.”

“Given Black Tap’s global footprint, we try to be truly thoughtful in leveraging global recipes, spices and techniques to ensure we continually bring innovation to our craft each and every day,” said Stephen Parker, corporate executive chef at Black Tap. “We love to tap different regional influences for our recipes – Tamarind inspired us to borrow flavors from Southeast Asia, the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America for this exciting collaboration.”

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Click here to view the 23^rd Edition of the Flavor Forecast. Also, click here to read the Gold Medal Classroom article, “Forecasting Future Flavors,” which detailed how the 2022 Flavor Forecast was created. 

Photos courtesy of McCormick.