Meat+Poultry - April 2024 - 51

ASSISTANCE WITH CULINARY SCIENCE
A recurring message at the 2024 RCA
Conference hosted by the Research Chefs
Association at the Marriott Boston Quincy on
March 5-7 in Quincy, Mass., was there are no
rules when it comes to food innovation using
Culinology. This is the discipline of blending
culinary arts with the science of food. Think
frozen sushi and lasagna soup.
For Bob Evans Farms, New Albany, Ohio,
breaking the rules comes in the form of
the company's new Wanderlish line of fully
cooked refrigerated entrees. Described as
a " tapestry of tastes, " Wanderlish comes in
three varieties. The Middle Eastern-inspired
Chicken Shawarma includes turmeric rice pilaf
and cucumber yogurt sauce, while the South
African-inspired Peri Peri Chicken has jollof
rice and herbed yogurt sauce. The Black Garlic
Chicken draws inspiration from Thailand and
contains coconut rice and tamarind sauce.
" Thoughtful explorers are a valuable
consumer to bring to the heat-and-eat
category, " said Andy Glick, culinary scientist
at Bob Evans Farms. " They are younger,
have high incomes and are willing to pay for
quality. We are reinvigorating the home meal
replacement category with affordable, yet
exciting meals to discover and explore. "
This supports the 2024 RCA Conference's
theme of " Revolutionizing food, reimagining
innovation. " Andrew Hunter, a research
and development chef based in Los Angeles
explained to attendees that umami and kokumi
is where the action is in food innovation.
Umami is the fifth basic taste. Bitter, salty,
sour and sweet are the other four. Umami
is said to add " craveability " to a dish.
Kokumi, on the other hand, enhances
that craveability.
" We now know that kokumi is not
the sixth taste, " said Aaron Andrews,
associate corporate chef, Ajinomoto
Health & Nutrition, Chicago. " Kokumi
does not have any flavor. It is a flavor
modifier. It increases the intensity
of the basic tastes, as well as certain
flavors, namely pungent ones, such as
garlic, onion and chili peppers. "
BIRRIA
ADDING CRAVEABILITY
Craveability is the essence of many of the
growing number of worldly flavors being
incorporated into meat- and poultrycontaining
products. The National
Restaurant Association's 2024 What's
Hot Culinary Forecast has " world
soups and stews " as the number-one
flavor trend going forward.
Think birria, a Mexican dish from
the state of Jalisco. Birria features beef,
chicken, goat, lamb or mutton, which is
marinated in adobo, then cooked and served
in broth.
Another example is tom kha. This is a soup
made with a coconut milk-based curry and
featuring duck or chicken and has its origins
in Thailand.
Regional Asian foods are driving a
lot of innovation. While upscale ramen
remains a popular dish, it is getting
competition from other noodle dishes
such as laksa. It, too, is prepared with
coconut milk and includes spices,
thick rice noodles and toppings such as
chicken or shrimp.
Second and third on NRA's trends
forecast is global chicken wings and
international barbecue.
" This year's trends are dominated by
consumer craving for comfort and community
with a healthy side of curiosity influenced by
social media, " said Hudson Riehle, senior vice
president of research at NRA. " Old favorites
LAKSA
TOM KHA
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