Category: News

Here Come the Flexitarians

Vegetarians and vegans aren’t the only ones looking for plant-based proteins. Increasingly, many people around the world are following a flexitarian diet, which means they actively choose to eat less meat. Here are some of the reasons that may influence their dining choices¹.

 

 

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References:

1. Dataessentials plant-based entry, 2018

This article was originally published the Make it Sizzle — The New Plant-based Meat Alternatives issue of Nutripro: Nestlé Professional Nutrition Magazine. To read the full magazine, click here.

4 Must-Try Middle Eastern Flavors

Warm, aromatic spices. Flavor-packed meat and meatless dishes. Craveable dairy-free cooking. Unique condiments—wow, are we glad that recent years have brought a rise to Middle Eastern cuisines. What was once mysterious and unexplored, now continues to climb on U.S. menus. The extensive range of flavors, ingredients, and dishes goes far beyond hummus and falafel. We’ve been tracking these four intriguing ingredients that you can introduce to your customers in easy and accessible ways. 
 
Fermenting, pickling, and aging have been hot topics for us the past couple of years, and Middle Eastern foods naturally fit into this trend. Have you tried torshi seer yet? This Persian staple is garlic pickled in vinegar. A variety of vinegars can be used from red wine to balsamic. Rather than being hard and pungent, the cloves evolve into soft, sweet, mild bites. Some even say it melts in your mouth! Make it an accompaniment to a meat or fish entrée, create a yogurt-torshi seer dip, or once it’s soft enough, use it as a spread on sandwiches.
 

The pickling continues with amba, an Iraqi condiment made of pickled green mangoes with vinegar, salt, turmeric, chili and fenugreek. It’s tangy and somewhat similar to a savory mango chutney. You can traditionally find it with shawarma and falafel, but it can easily be incorporated on an American menu. Give it a try on a grilled chicken sandwich, add it to a charcuterie board, or create a savory-sour side dish by mixing it with rice. Amba can really pack a punch, so play around with the correct level of flavor for your application.
 
Our next hot item hails from Yemen, and we’re serious when we say hot. Schug, also spelled zhug or skhug, is a savory hot sauce that brings the heat from fresh green peppers such as serrano or jalapeno. However, that heat is balanced with bright, fresh notes from ingredients like lemon, cilantro, and parsley. It’s most commonly found at Fast Casual and Fine Dining restaurants, but schug is taking off with +219% menu growth over the past four years. While this hard-to-pronounce condiment is imbedded in Middle Eastern cuisines, incorporate it into Western dishes to encourage trial with your guests. We know you’re well versed in what to do with a spicy sauce, so go for it!
 
Last but not least is tahini (also referred to as tehina), which you may be more familiar with than you think as it’s a staple ingredient in hummus—toasted ground sesame seed. An upward trend in menu growth for the past decade and a boom in Middle Eastern fare proves this ingredient isn’t going anywhere. But have you really explored all that tahini can do? Its creamy and nutty nature makes it perfect for dips, sauces, glazes, marinades, and even desserts. Have you seen the Goldie Tehina Shake? It’s a delectable take on a milkshake from a vegan, Israeli-style falafel shop in Philly. This guest favorite comes in flavors Original, Turkish Coffee, Mint Chocolate, and Date.
 
Sampling these flavors is sure to excite your taste buds. We hope you’ll seek them out soon and find creative ways to incorporate them into your own menu items. We’d love to help you create your next hit menu item, so let’s talk about a FlavorIQ^® approach that’s right for your operation.  For a further look into Middle Eastern Eats, see our trend spotlight for menu inspiration and a recipe video. Or read what Chef Michael Hornback has to say of these cuisines in his recent blog post. Happy taste testing!

Joe Beitzel
Brand Marketing Director
Custom Culinary, Inc.

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This article was originally published on Custom Culinary’s Chef Talk. To learn more about Custom Culinary, visit www.customculinary.com.

 

It’s not often that the industry gets to welcome a whole new category to the menu. But that’s exactly what’s happening with the latest plant-based alternatives to meat.

In response to a rising demand for sustainable, healthy ways to eat, plant-based proteins are popping up on menus all over the globe¹. And unlike traditional tofu, tempeh, or even early meat alternatives, these new foods capture the taste and texture of real meat and poultry, making them a hit with all kinds of consumers, from vegans and vegetarians to flexitarians.

These advances come as many consumers are looking for ways to reduce their meat consumption. Whether they’re changing their eating habits out of concern for their health, the environment, animal welfare, or other reasons, people are actively looking for options when they’re dining out.

While this trend began in fast food, these products are becoming widely accepted in different channels around the world. It all adds up to create an exciting opportunity for you. To help you make the most of it, we’ve put together a primer on these new products, who’s eating them and why, and how you can make the most of them to satisfy this new demand.

History of Meat Alternatives

People have been using grain to make the center of plate for a long time, but the products that recreate the look, taste, and texture of beef or chicken so closely are more recent cooking innovations.

Some key historical dates:

200 BC: Soy-based tofu is invented in China by the Han dynasty. 

535 AD: Use of wheat gluten as protein is recorded in a Chinese agricultural encyclopedia. 

1800: Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans in Indonesia. 

1877: John Harvey Kellogg develops meat replacements from nuts, grains, and soy to feed patients in his vegetarian sanitarium in the US. 

1902: Dietitian Sarah Tyson Rorer publishes Mrs. Rorer’s Vegetable Cookery and Meat Substitutes in the US. 

1962: Marushima Shoyu K.K sells wheat gluten as “seitan” in Japan. It is imported to the US seven years later. 

1985: Soy schnitzel is created in Israel and mushroom-based meat alternatives in the UK. 

2015: Realistic raw-to- cooked beef alternatives become mainstream in consumer and quick service restaurant markets. 

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References:

1. Eat Lancet, 2019
2. soyinfocenter.com

This article was originally published the Make it Sizzle — The New Plant-based Meat Alternatives issue of Nutripro: Nestlé Professional Nutrition Magazine. To read the full magazine, click here.

Mexico Graduates 100 New Pre-Commis Chefs through Worldchefs Academy

In the midst of one of the worst health and economic crises, the spirit and desire of students to learn and get ahead at different gastronomy schools in the country has not dropped.

Culinary students from different schools in Toluca, Puebla, and Cancún have successfully completed their Pre-Commis Chef certificate on the Worldchefs Academy platform. The students commented on the great benefit that has resulted in recapitulating basic themes of the profession: professionalism, temperatures, cuts, importance of complete and proper use of the uniform, and so much more!

This new generation of students were also recognized by the Colegio Nacional de Chefs Profesionales de México A.C., an association representing Worldchefs in Mexico and which prioritizes, as main objectives, education, dialogue and global links as the most important actions.

Congratulations on these new 100 Pre Commis Chefs!

En medio de una de las peores crisis económicas y de salud, el espíritu y el deseo de los estudiantes de aprender y salir adelante en las diferentes escuelas de gastronomía del país no ha disminuido.

Los estudiantes de artes culinarias de diferentes escuelas en TOLUCA, PUEBLA Y CANCÚN han completado con éxito su certificado PRE-COMMIS CHEF en la plataforma WORLDCHEFS ACADEMY. Los estudiantes comentaron sobre el gran beneficio que ha resultado en recapitular temas básicos de la profesión: profesionalismo, temperaturas, cortes, importancia del uso completo y adecuado del uniforme, ¡y mucho más!

Esta nueva generación de estudiantes también fue reconocida por el Colegio Nacional de Chefs Profesionales de México A.C., una asociación que representa a Worldchefs en México y que prioriza, como objetivos principales, la educación, el diálogo y los vínculos globales como las acciones más importantes.

Felicitaciones por estos nuevos 100 Pre-Commis Chefs!

For more information on Worldchefs Academy, contact [email protected] or visit www.worldchefsacademy.com.