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As every January, it is time to make an overview of what this new gastronomic year will bring us and what will be the trends and ingredients that will reign during the next 365 days. According to a study published by the McCormick & Company brand, there is one food that will become the preferred ingredient. And the one chosen as the flavor of the year 2024 is tamarind. Here we explain the reasons that have led this ingredient to become the king of many of the dishes that will be served in restaurants.
As McCormick & Company’s executive chef explained to CNN, one of the main reasons for choosing tamarind is based on the gastronomic trends that have triumphed in recent months, and the profile of this food fits perfectly with the flavors that have been standing out. In 2023, spicy, acidic and swicy trends clearly triumphed. In that sense, tamarind fits perfectly with what has been described, since it is a sweet and sour ingredient that serves as a condiment for a wide variety of sauces, drinks, desserts and marinades.
Tamarind, a very complete flavor
The process of choosing one flavor or another is carried out over nine months by the McCormick team, which travels around the world, from South Africa to China to Poland, for example, to analyze restaurant menus, examine tastes and trends, and then translate them into its annual report.
Tamarind is an ingredient that also has many medicinal properties and benefits for our health, thanks to its high magnesium content, its anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic effects and its ability to reduce blood pressure.
Finally, the McCormick team explained, tamarind aligns perfectly with the three foodie trends predicted by their report: the power of acid, “thoughtfully borrowed borrowed” recipes – modernized versions of regional traditions – and ‘new-stalgic’ – a term that refers to the revival of childhood favorites with a modern twist. These are just a few reasons that have led tamarind to be chosen as the flavor of the year 2024.