This is one of The Food Channel’s Top 10 Chocolate Trends for 2012, based on research conducted in conjunction with CultureWaves® and the International Food Futurists®. For the full list, click here.
Chocolate with an Ethnic Acccent. We’re seeing this across all desserts, not just chocolate. But it appears to have started with chocolate, as Mexican chiles and vanilla got called out in candy bars. Then we added matcha (green tea), and began dipping our churros in chocolate or at least, as at XOCO, serving them with hot chocolate. We’ve seen dessert pizzas for awhile, although it’s a stretch to call those Italian! But dessert pizzas are what may have prompted bloggers and at least one Asian restaurant to start filling wonton wrappers with chocolate. There is even a Weight Watchers/Doctor Oz version. Expect to see more ethnic flavors that go beyond Mexican and Asian (and WAY beyond German or Swiss chocolate). After all, as we learn more about the origins of chocolate across Africa, the Philippines, and beyond, we are also learning more about the foods of those countries and will undoubtedly begin to Americanize them in some way.
For more evidence, see:
Fusion at the Fountain: Chocolate with an Ethnic Twist
Total Chocolate Sensory Experience
Recipe evidence:
