The paper, part of the Global Insight Series launched last year, reveals that when asked to rank typical food tastes they prefer to eat or prepare at home, 66% of respondents listed ‘spicy’ as one of their top three choices out of a list including ‘spicy’, ‘salty’, ‘sweet’, ‘sour’, ‘sweet & sour’, ‘plain or mild’, ‘bitter’ and ‘other’.
US consumers responded exactly in line with the average score, with 66% saying they prefer spiced food. Nigeria tops the list with 81%, whereas Brazilians lag behind with only 37% saying they prefer intense and hot flavours in their food.
Where once people may have primarily eaten spicy foods in particular settings such as ethnic restaurants, the survey demonstrates that consumers are increasingly expecting the same richness and intensity of flavours from their home menus, making spicy tastes a vital area for food manufacturers to explore.
In addition, spicy snacks have surged in popularity. As spiced foods become part of people’s daily diets, they will demand the same qualities from their ready-to-eat dishes: fresh and authentic tastes with complex flavours that are free from unfamiliar additives and represent good value for money.
The survey, carried out in the US, China, Brazil, Nigeria and Poland, showed that around the world, men are somewhat more likely than women to select spiced dishes as their favourite food (70% vs 62% of respondents).
A study presented at last year’s IFT also suggested a correlation between the preference for highly spiced food and risk-taking personalities (‘sensation seekers’).
For manufacturers, it will be important to establish exactly which intensity of taste their target audience prefers, opening up opportunities for more ‘lifestyle’ marketing approaches.
“Creating spiced foods is no longer a matter of adding a single ingredient such as chilli or pepper,” said Frank Meijer, application expert at DSM Food Specialties’ Savory business. “It is a process of building a complex and satisfying flavour with spicy qualities at its core. Layering is key to achieving this, as is an understanding of what each ingredient adds to the dish or snack’s flavour profile.”
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