This year, Symrise conducted an initiative as part of our Spice Exploration Series, which explores flavors and ingredients from around the world, focusing on Latin American countries, beyond Mexico.
Our objective was to investigate the traditional and top flavors/ingredients of Latin American food and then understand consumption and preference of various Latin American cuisines and dishes and to gauge U.S. consumer interest in replicating dishes at home with cooking aids.
Related Content: INFOGRAPHIC: Latino Taste Preferences
The primary flavor/ingredient research was conducted with chefs from around the world via the Symrise proprietary tool, Chefs United. Chefs United is a global online network of over 20,000 chefs. We interviewed chefs from multiple countries in Latin America to learn more about what's happening in their restaurants and their markets.
For the consumer side of the initiative, we utilized two resources. In order to get a pulse on Mainstream America, we used The Flavor Designers Club, a proprietary Symrise online consumer panel. Over 250 respondents were surveyed. For the U.S. Hispanic consumer insights, we turned to a multicultural consumer research agency and surveyed over 200 U.S. Hispanics in major market areas.
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Below you will find an overview of some of the key insights that came out of the study for Mainstream America. Stay tuned to in-sight.symrise.com to see the results from U.S. Hispanics.
Top Three Overall Cuisines:
1. 37% CUBAN
2. 27% BRAZILIAN
3. 22% PUERTO RICO
- Cuban, Brazilian and Puerto Rican are also the highest ranked in terms of preference.
- More than half of survey respondents have never tried the other cuisines.
- The most popular dishes are not usually considered the most authentic:
–– Cuban Sandwich is the dish most likely to be tried; however it trails the other dishes in authenticity.
–– Mofongo is considered the most authentic Puerto Rican dish and is the least likely to be ordered at a restaurant.
- With the exception of the Brazilian Pasteis and the Puerto Rican Chicharrones de Pollo, all dishes reflect a disparity in popularity and authenticity.
Interest in Cooking Aids to Replicate Dishes:
1. Seasoning
2. Marinades
3. Grilling Sauces
4. Cooking Sauces
5. Cooking Pastes
6. Stock/Bouillon/Broth
CLICK HERE to request more information on Spice Exploration: Beyond Mexico
