This year’s 9 must-have ingredients

There are nine ingredients that, this year, you must include in your diet. They are broccolini, which appears to be a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. Tamarind is another food that must be include, and is most popular in Filipino dishes. Maple syrup is considered a natural sweetener and can be used to flavor cocktails.

Key Takeaways:

• Chick-fil-A introduced broccolini to the quick-service audience in early 2016, offering it as a component (along with kale, dried cherries, roasted nuts and maple vinaigrette) in its Superfood Side. The hybrid green vegetable—a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale—has since catapulted to national fame.
• Filipino topped several forecasters’ lists as the next global cuisine to emerge in the mainstream. Although Filipino dishes are characterized by several distinct flavorings, sweet-sour tamarind is one of the most versatile—especially when it’s sourced as pulp.
• The widespread mention of Southern foods on trend forecasts is pushing buttermilk to the top of operators’ order lists. The dairy ingredient, a Southern staple, is a kitchen workhorse: It can be used as a brine or marinade to tenderize fried chicken, as the liquid in biscuit dough or waffle batter, or as a tangy addition to creamy dressings and sauces.

“According to Technomic, tamarind is still at the introductory stage of the flavor lifecycle, so operators who get it onto the menu soon will be ahead of the culinary curve.”

http://www.foodservicedirector.com/menu-development/menu-strategies/articles/years-9-must-have-ingredients