Article

The hot sauce

Aiolis, chutneys and fruit spreads give ketchup and mayo a trendy makeover.

August 1, 2007 by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

As center-of-the-plate menu items in the United States continue to emerge and evolve, one often-overlooked industry item going through its own metamorphosis is condiments.

 

Over the past several years, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard have been replaced by aioli (a garlic mayonnaise from southern France), chutney (a spicy condiment containing fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices) and any variety of salsa, now America's No. 1 preferred condiment.

 

Although Burger King restaurants have kept it simple in the United States, the company's line of Crown Jewels in New Zealand boasts aioli, mango-lime sauce and relish.

 

Industry experts say it's doubtful the chain's aioli sauce will make a U.S. debut, but the door is open for more sauce innovation.

 

Under the Minor's brand name, Nestle has launched a line of sauces that include ancho and soy wasabi. The sauces are on par with today's trend of using big, bold flavors, such as chipotle. 

 

"What we see, regardless of whatever segment, is that the drag toward more bold, bright flavors is going to trickle down all the way through (the foodservice industry)," said Allan Gazaway, CEC AAC, corporate executive chef for Nestlé Foodservice.

 

Gazaway said many larger chains are custom-creating sauces while smaller players are enlisting Nestlé's help.

 

"The thing you have to overcome is blinders that owners have of a regional chain who say, 'This is what we've always done,'" he said. "Places like McDonald's and Subway are going to try new and exciting flavors. The smaller the chain, the more closely held (the menu) is."

 

The flavor trail

 

Many of the sauce trends trickling to the QSR space found their initial popularity at fine-dining eateries.

 

Kara Nielsen, a trendologist at San Francisco's Center for Culinary Development, said the organization uses a trend map to track the five stages of flavor shifts. The five flavor-evolution stages are: 1. fine-dining and ethnic restaurants; 2. gourmet magazines and high-end specialty-food stores; 3. casual-dining restaurants, television shows and mass-market stores such as Williams Sonoma; 4. women's cooking magazine's such as Family Circle; and 5. QSRs and grocery-store shelves.

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Nielsen said on fine-dining dishes, sauces have become fresh and simple, and have moved away from the heavy French-sauce model. Additionally, fresh flavors are coming from herbs and fruits.

 

"There are more things like chutneys, fresh salsas, vinaigrettes as salsas and flavored oils," she said.

 

One thing about sauces in the QSR space is their ability to translate well on top of a sandwich. Nielsen said sauces can't be "drippy" and need to easily translate to the sandwich space.

 

"If you think old QSRs, they're changing the meat as opposed to the sauce," Nielsen said. "The sandwich chains have really created a new place to play. The best place to play is the sauce and it's the easiest thing to change."

 

Ernie Sapiro, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Spirits' director of research and development, said the chain saw a lot of ethnic influences during it's 2006 "The Next Gourmet Burger Kids Contest."

 

The winning entry, from 9-year-old Adrianna Montgomery, features a blend of wasabi-ginger and teriyaki sauces, sesame seeds and fried wonton strips (along with Napa Cabbage and lettuce).

 

Montgomery's entry stood out because of her use of Asian-inspired ingredients, but a few other sauces stood out, too.

 

Sapiro said some of the more memorable condiments included spinach and artichoke dip, pesto, prickly pear cactus jelly, Tzatziki sauce and salsa.

 

"We saw a lot of ethnic influences in the burgers kids submitted, including Mexican flavors, Italian sauces and ingredients, Greek-inspired flavors and more," he said. "Throughout the contest, we learned that kids have surprisingly sophisticated palates and are aware of unique flavors and ingredients."

 

Sapiro said traditional sauces such as barbecue and mayonnaise are being enhanced with flavors of mango and basil. "However, traditional sauces are still loved by all and continue to remain staple items on menus throughout the country," he said.

 

While Asian and otherethnic-inspired flavorsare crossing domestic shores, it's doubtful what works outside the U.S. will work inside it, too.

 

Nestlé's Gazaway said some sauces are coming from overseas, but some things will never make it to the mass American market. Of those that do, such as curry and chipotle, they are finding quick-serve and fast-casual restaurant success.

 

"When it comes down to it, (the sauce) has to be easy and convenient and measurable for the QSR, and also for fast casuals, because they don't have the facilities to make everything in-house, so they need a format they can control."