Happy Friday Foodie Friends,
As we savour the last days of summer, we’re diving into the hottest food trends that made waves this season. From backyard barbecues to gourmet picnics, this summer was all about bold flavours and unique combinations. And if there’s one trend that took the culinary world by storm, it’s the rise of Swicy—the flavour profile that’s defining 2024.
Swicy, a blend of sweet, savoury, and spicy, has captured the taste buds of food lovers everywhere. Following the buzz around hot honey last year, brands in the specialty food and drink sector have embraced this flavour fusion, crafting mouth-watering creations that leave us craving more. Swicy Flavours of heightened interest include:
Spicy garlic,
Hot honey,
Spicy mustard,
Chili-lime,
Hot Orange
Habanero and Jalapeno,
Nashville hot,
Kung Pao,
Tangy Thai Sweet chili,
and its quintessential condiment Nam Prik Pao,
Mexican hot chocolate
Sichuan dish kung pao
The smoky heat of Korean gochujang,
Spicy barbecue sauces or ketchup,
Jerk seasoning,
Swicy is bringing a new level of excitement to our plates. It's no wonder David Chang and Momofuku recently made news as he tried to trademark chili crunch. And Coca-Cola this year added a spiced up soda as its first new permanent flavour in years!
This week, we’re exploring all things Swicy and highlighting some of the innovative brands and products maximising this trend.
As always, enjoy the read, and please do let me know if Swicy has been a hit for your new products this Summer and whether you will be including this trend in your 2025 launch plans.
Annie x
BIANCO NINO ROASTED PINEAPPLE SALSA
Irish owned Blanco Nino, company's founder, Phil, travelled around Mexico in search of the perfect tortilla recipe. The authentic methods he discovered date back to Aztec times and are now used to create the Blanco Nino tortilla chips. This Summer, they extended their offering to include a range of fire roasted Salsas. The Pineapple option is a great example of jumping on the Swicy trend, and OMG is it mouth-wateringly delicious!
DOUGH BROS. HOT HONEY
The Dough Bros. who are famous for their incredible pizza have a stunning hot honey from Sliabh Aughty in their pizza kits. It's made with 100% raw Irish honey from the Sliabh Aughty mountains, dried chillies, and a dash of Irish poitín. It's perfect drizzled over any pizza topping, but also great on cheese boards, with quiche or your savoury porridge! Several of the retailers, including Tesco, M&S, Waitrose and Dunnes Stores included Hot Honey in their range development for this Summer. That's a strong indicator that this trend is here to stay.
TAJIN SEASONING
My friend brought me home a bottle of this Tajin Seasoning a couple of years ago from South America, and we've been addicted ever since. Tajín Clásico Seasoning is made with a unique blend of 100% natural chili peppers, lime & sea salt. At the time, you couldn't buy it anywhere, but it's now available on Amazon and through various wholesalers. And they have been busy innovating, adding a whole host of products to their portfolio, including Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce.
Delicious!
HOT ORANGE MARMALADE
Even the preserve companies are following the swicy trend, and this hot marmalade from the Proper Marmalade Co. is to die for. Handmade from whole seasonal fruit and chillies. Traditionally made in small pans as you would yourself, this marmalade is hot and fruity. Great with cheeses, duck, in stir fries or just on toast for a morning kick! They also have a superb Lemon & Horseradish (pictured) which is clean with fresh lemon and earthy fresh horseradish, warming, sweet and savoury all in one jar!
MARKS & SPENCERS VIVA RANGE
The new & very vibrant Summer Collection from M&S this Summer had lots of great examples of Swicy throughout the range, including their Global Cuisine inspired marinades. Perfect for tacos, wings and pulled chicken. Whilst I didn't get to try them all, the Mexican inspired Honey & Chipotle was a real hit for BBQs in our home over the Summer.