Four Trending Flavors and Culinary Styles in Asia Pacific

Young consumers are hungry for adventurous food experiences that instill envy among their social network followers. To keep pace, food scientists and agritech firms are developing ingredients that once seemed incongruous with local culture. This helps youth-focused food and beverage brands stand out from the crowd and sate a desire for unfamiliar tastes.

Bold flavor pairings can provide invaluable research into the willingness of consumers to venture beyond their comfort zone. A bacon milkshake blending Hokkaido milk, ice cream, and bacon chips is not just a palate-testing beverage. It was curated in Japan as a salty-sweet complement to pair with a pizza. Diners were even encouraged to dip their pizza slices into the shake as an offbeat taste challenge.

Rethinking coffee with offbeat twists has created a social media frenzy in China. A local brand introduced a coffee drink subtly infused with black garlic to engage consumers keen to explore their taste boundaries.

Takeaways:

• Consumers are eager to experience fresh flavor combinations, especially if it helps them learn more about unfamiliar ingredients and food preparations
• Social media sharing of hot new food experiences is reshaping the way young people perceive traditional ingredients and eccentric flavors
• Fear of missing out means thought-provoking food and drinks introduced on a time-limited basis quickly create a social buzz

The return of travel after long pandemic border closures are unlocking culinary invention. Intra-regional travel is driving the recovery of tourism across the region, and food exploration is back on the menu among young, culinary-curious travelers.

Food trucks abound in cities and coastal destinations selling snacks and delicacies from around the market, and from other popular food destinations, like Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea. In China, outdoor barbecue markets were a hot trend during the May Golden Week holiday. More cities in the region count Michelin restaurant guides which are prized by Asian gourmands as a benchmark of quality and innovation.

Pairing local and regional food and travel cultures is a hot topic. Air New Zealand launched a competition for food brands to develop a new range of in-flight snacks. They were challenged to utilize homegrown natural ingredients, focus on reducing food waste, and appeal to travelers with different dietary needs.

A beer brand launched a soju-infused beer to tap the surging appeal of South Korean pop culture across Southeast Asia. With a campaign fronted by K-pop star G-Dragon, the beer is offered in two fruit flavors and promises a slightly sweet aftertaste to attract young drinkers who perceive lager to be too bitter.

In recent years, South Korea has seen an annual increase of nearly eight percent in its agri-food exports to other markets. One example is the rising consumer yearning for the popular Korean street food tteokbokki. This pillowy soft rice cake, doused in a sticky red pepper sauce, is in huge demand, thanks to the influence of Korean pop culture.

Takeaways:

• Asia’s travel revival is stimulating opportunities to try new meals, snacks, and drinks while on vacation, and virtually share the joys with friends and family back home
• Food truck culture is proliferating in the region and is an informal platform to introduce unique flavors to consumers and tourists who are in a relaxed frame of mind
• Brands are exploring how regional elements of culture and cuisine can be adapted and localized to stimulate the taste buds of local consumers in home markets

2023 is proving to be a breakout year for the enjoyment of foods sold or served in drinkable form. Japan is leading the way with pop-up products to satisfy sweet and savory cravings. Hot product launches have included a range of cheesecake smoothies and a liquefied meal of cold ramen noodles, kimchi extract, and gochujang paste.

Innovations in drinkable products that enhance bodily nutrition are frequently launched in markets where they are a relatively new concept. Lifestyle drinks that enhance complexion are also emerging. A brewery in China launched a sparkling grape beer for women containing hyaluronic acid, which is claimed to have skin-beautifying effects.

As people age, a reduced appetite makes it more difficult to fuel the body with nutrients. In New Zealand, Massey University partnered with Pāmu Farms to study the benefits of drinking deer milk for women aged over 65. Women who drank the high-calcium milk daily over 10 weeks enhanced their muscle mass and bone health. The study raised interest in deer milk products, which are produced in relatively low quantities.

Takeaways:

• Drinkable foods are proving popular with consumers who find them easier to digest and make them feel less full
• The novelty factor of drinking a liquefied version of a popular meal attracts creatives seeking inspiration for user-generated social content
• Beauty and wellness-enhancing drinkables are gaining popularity across Asian markets where delaying the visible signs of aging is big business

Animal proteins are cherished for their health benefits. Concerns are emerging about the impact on food quality, overfishing, and industrial meat production. Meanwhile, consumers are seeking high-protein snacks that provide an energy boost and improve dietary fiber intake, and governments are tasking food producers to reduce waste. These factors are driving a gradual proliferation of edible insect products.

Singapore’s Food Agency is preparing to approve 26 insect species, including crickets, and grasshoppers plus silkworms for human consumption. New rules will govern the farming, preparation, and distribution of items such as fried insects and insect-based snack bars.

Elsewhere, edible insects are gaining traction. In Vietnam, a pizza chain caused a social media buzz by launching a silkworm pizza, referencing a tradition of eating silkworms as a delicacy. In Japan, a vending machine operator sells insect snacks, and a soy sauce brand adds protein-rich cricket powder to its products. Sensitivity still surrounds the topic. Parents at a Japanese school lobbied against adding cricket powder to lunch meals over fears that some students could develop an allergic reaction.

Takeaways:

• Eating insects is a novel experience for younger consumers, but less so for older generations in many Asian markets

• Protein is highly prized for its health-giving benefits for the body and mind and consumers are seeking new sources

• Insects are considered an environmentally friendly food source as they create almost zero waste during farming and production