It’s no secret that spicy is an incendiary menu flavour right now in the UK and the US. Technomic’s Flavor Lifecycle, which tracks flavours on their journey from innovation to ubiquity, shows many mature staples in the States, that we also see in the UK, including chilli, jalapeño, Cajun, and Buffalo. The tracker also shows what’s likely to come next. Bernadette Noone, vice president at Technomic, said, “Menu categories see wide variation in flavor innovation. Aji amarillo, a South American yellow hot pepper spice, is the leading cutting-edge spicy flavour in appetisers; while in entrées [starters], it’s sambal, a Southeast Asian favourite. 'Spicy flavors that are one step closer to widespread acceptance, but still innovative, include poblano in appetisers and red chilli in entrées.” Even widely adopted flavours find new life with unique menu applications. The Flavor Lifecycle tool projects a new platform for wasabi, a longtime mature flavour for sushi, on early adopter salad menus. For Sriracha, now widely accepted on most handhelds (burgers, sandwiches, sushi and wings), the next push looks likely to be in tacos. The Flavor Lifecycle tracks adoption levels across concept categories with varying levels of innovation, from US chef-driven restaurants to national chains in the States. It dynamically projects trends for thousands of menu categories, and helps organisations find the right flavours before they go mainstream. (source: Technomic)