World Cuisine: New Frontiers

World Cuisine: New Frontiers
It’s not easy to gain the attention of consumers
nowadays. To build traffic and sales, operators
really need to outshine the competition.
Innovative flavor notes and ingredients can be
a low-risk way to update conventional foods
and fuel consumer interest in trying new menu
offerings. So the search is on for novel, surprising
taste sensations. And the most obvious source of
menu novelty is global foods, recipes, flavors and
flavor combinations.
The “Big Three” ethnic cuisines familiar for
generations—Italian, Mexican and Chinese—
have been extended to three broader sources of
innovation from three key regions of the planet:
Mediterranean, Latin American and pan-Asian.
Read on to learn how these ethnic trends are
entering the mainstream.
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The Meaning of Med
Latin: The Other 'American'
Mediterranean cuisine
can include flavors
from Italy, France,
Spain, Greece and the
Middle East.
Latin American fare is much broader than the
familiar Mexican, encompassing countries
from Central and South America as well as the
Caribbean. Drawing from everything from tropical
ingredients to indigenous, European and Asian
influences, each of these nations and regions is
known for distinct flavors.
Six out of 10
consumers indicate
that they would likely
order a menu item
featuring flavors
and ingredients
of Mediterranean
cuisines. Items
reflecting these
cuisines are
proliferating on restaurant menus as operators take
advantage of growing consumer interest in ethnic
cuisines, better-for-you fare and vegetarian foods.
Mediterranean cuisines rely on fish, herbs, vegetables
and olive oil. Consumers seeking better-for-you fare
also appreciate the cuisine’s simple preparations, use
of fresh ingredients and cooking methods that instill
flavor without added fats. Herbs like rosemary, thyme
and chervil are included in sauces and as toppings
for flatbreads and pizza. Pita sandwiches and Greek
entree salads have seen healthy increases in menu
incidence. Operators are also menuing more falafel,
hummus, chickpeas and Greek yogurt.
Menu introductions include:

Mediterranean Paella—with saffroninfused rice, chorizo, roasted shrimp and
balsamic-marinated chicken breast, part
of the under-600-calorie ”Smart Choices”
menu, la Madeleine Country French Café

Moroccan Salmon—grilled chermoulamarinated salmon, served with seasonal
vegetables and steamed rice, part of the
new “Lighter Side” menu, Gordon Biersch
Brewery Restaurant

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Montaditos (small sandwiches)—
varieties include Serrano Ham and Olive
Oil; Tortilla Española (potato omelet) with
Chipotle Aïoli; Grilled Chicken with Bacon,
Iberico Cheese and Brava Sauce; Hummus
with Grilled Eggplant, Fresh Tomato and
Arugula on Whole-Wheat Bread; Grilled
Beef with Guacamole and Pico de Gallo,
Cerveceria 100 Montaditos (a Spanish chain
that recently entered the U.S. market)
Grilled meats and accompanying sauces like
chimichurri are appealing elements of Argentina’s
cuisine, and traditional barbecued meats of
southern Brazil form the basis for steakhouse
concepts worldwide. Peru’s cuisine reflects not
only indigenous and Spanish influences but also
Arab, African, Chinese and Japanese immigrants;
the national dish, ceviche, is similar to Japanese
sashimi, and Peruvian food is unique in its ability to
shine with Asian ingredients.
More broadly, Mexican, Cuban and other Hispanic
flavors continue to influence and enrich the food
culture in the U.S. A look at Hispanic cuisine on
mainstream menus reveals trends around rustic
street foods, straightforward presentations, panLatin and fusion sandwiches, and healthful menu
offerings. Examples include:

Street-Style Mini Tacos—seasoned fajita
steak or chicken or roasted pork, served
open-faced on three mini corn tortillas
with grilled onions and Jack cheese,
accompanied by fresh avocado, pico de
gallo and red-chile tomatillo salsa, On the
Border Mexican Grill & Cantina

Asada y Enchilada—grilled skirt steak
with marinated onions and chimichurri
sauce served with a cheese enchilada. A
signature dish, Cantina Laredo

Peruvian Pork Sandwich—roasted
Cuban-style pork topped with garlic aïoli,
Brie, salsa verde and fresh cilantro, Rising
Roll Gourmet
 Arepa de Vegetales—fresh beets, avocado,
cabbage and cilantro on an unleavened
Colombian corn pastry with sweet plantains,
Alma Pan-Latin Kitchen, Pittsburgh
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The Vastness of Asia
As American consumers’ palates evolve, they’ve
started moving beyond Chinese food and seeking
out bolder, lesser known flavors from other Asian
cuisines. Korean barbecue has made inroads
on menus, as have Korean-style marinades for
beef and chicken featuring such ingredients as
soy sauce, pear juice, chiles, sugar, garlic and
onions. Sweet, tart and tangy Filipino marinades;
traditional Indian spices such as paprika, coriander,
cumin, curry and cardamom; and fiery Southeast
Asian Sriracha sauce are also beginning to show up
on menus.
Most notably,
Southeast Asian
flavors and ingredients
are proliferating. The
boom in Thai foods like
pad thai, as well as
Vietnamese specialties
such as pho noodle
soups and banh mi
sandwiches, has drawn
more attention to
Southeast Asian fare generally. Now we’re starting
to see flavors from the cuisines of Laos, Malaysia
and Indonesia.
Sweet chili sauce, a
popular condiment
in Thailand and
Laos, appeared on
McDonald’s U.S. menu
Asian appetizers such as satay skewers or Thai
lettuce wraps are finding their way onto more
menus. The next craze may be dumplings and
steamed buns. Rickshaw Dumpling Bar in New York
City and Chicago’s Wow Bao bun concept illustrate
the appeal of easy to hold, dip and eat Asian
snacks. And extending the comfort-food craze to
ethnic fare, entire chains have been developed
around pho—a Vietnamese noodle soup with beef
brisket, flank steak and assorted add-ins.
Despite the less-than-stellar economic
environment, we’ve seen a flurry of new Asian and
Asian-fusion concept development. Phillips Seafood
Restaurants opened Bombora, which emphasizes
Asian and Latin flavors in menu items like tikka
masala-glazed chicken wings with toasted almond
dust. Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill is expanding
rapidly, combining authentic Asian ingredients with
classic American formats—meatloaf sliders with
garlic-ginger dipping sauce, for example.
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Some recently introduced Asian and Asian-fusion
fare making news:
 Bahn Mi Sandwiches—Vietnamese-style
sandwiches featuring a choice of chicken,
beef or shrimp on a French baguette, filled
with pickled carrots, daikon radish, cilantro,
cucumber slices and spicy sauce, served with
sweet-potato fries, Mama Fu’s Asian House

Breakfast Bao—new breakfast version of
steamed Vietnamese-style buns, filled with
barbecue pork; coconut custard; or eggs
combined with either bacon and Cheddar,
spinach and mushroom, or spicy pork
sausage, Wow Bao
Sysco Can Help
Just how much ethnic innovation is right for your
concept and clientele remains a tricky question.
Sourcing less-familiar ingredients and developing
appropriate recipes are other puzzlers.
Your Sysco Marketing Associate, backed by Sysco’s
formidable team of culinary and operational
professionals, can help you with ingredient advice,
costing information, recipes and consumer data
so that you can incorporate these Mediterranean,
Latin and Asian ethnic flavors and foods for your
concept and customer base.
In addition, Sysco offers you access to two other
invaluable resources:

Periodic Business Reviews in which a
team of Sysco experts examines every
phase of your operations and recommend
improvements to build sales, traffic and the
bottom line.
 Access to Sysco iCare business partners—
companies offering independent operators a
suite of value-added resources designed to help
them compete against chains and multiconcept
operators as well as other independents.
For more information, contact
your Sysco Marketing Associate.
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