Supermarket Perimeter - February 2021 - 28

Deli

Asian cuisine, A to Z

BY JENNIFER BARNETT FOX

B 

is for Blooming Spices. The
technique of cooking spices
in oil or ghee (clariﬁed butter)
produces ﬂavor compounds that are fat
soluble. Fat that coats the tongue allows
the spice's aromatic compounds to
stay in contact with the taste
buds for a longer amount of
time. Toasting whole seeds
produces crunchiness and
makes ground spices toasty.

C 

is for Chewy. A texture
celebrated in East and
Southeast Asian cuisine but
often unfamiliar and misunderstood in
the West. Known as " Q " in Taiwan, jjolgit
jjolgit in Korean and dai in Vietnam, the
texture celebrates traditional cooking
techniques requiring an exploration
beyond mainstream Asian cuisine.
Produced with
simple ﬂour, salt
and water, udon
noodles offer a
unique texture
that's both slick
and bouncy.

28 - FEBRUARY 2021

D 

is for Demand. Desire for
authentic sauces, chutneys
and seasoning blends
continue to rise as consumers seek out
restaurant-like experiences at home.
Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, global food
analyst at Mintel, predicted consumers
will use global ﬂavors to create an
at-home culinary adventure through the
use of products such as guchugaru, a
Korean seedless chile pepper that adds
fruitiness and
heat and douchi,
fermented black
soybeans that add
a natural source
of umami to PanAsian foods.

E 

is for Eating at home. YouTube
cooking sensations inspire
new ways to approach home
cooking with videos that focus on the
use of pantry staples and easy-to-ﬁnd
ingredients such as kimchi in the deli or
sushi from the perimeter.
For example, using
fresh bread from
the instore bakery
to make kimchi
toast with cream
cheese or stir
fry meals that
feature kimchi and
whole grains.

F 

is for Fusions. Often
representative of twists
on classics, fusion cuisine
continues to take the best of multiple
cultures and mix them up in new ways.
Fusions of Chinese-Peruvian and
Mexican-Korean represent the rise in
second- and third-generation immigrant
chefs fusing their native cuisines with
local and regional ﬂair.
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G 

is for Global travels. Maybe
not just yet, but that won't
stop the exploration of new
lands through food. The mainstreaming
of chilis, sauces to top Korean barbecue,
kimchi and spice blends are a gateway
for experiencing a culture through food.
Asian-inspired soups are also proving
popular in the deli with products such as
Kansas City, Kan.-based Tippin's sriracha
corn chowder soup.

H 

is for High Population
Concentration. States with
the highest concentration
of Asians include Hawaii, California,
New Jersey, Nevada, Washington,
New York, Alaska, Virginia, Maryland
and Massachusetts. This can include
individuals with origins stemming from
the original peoples of the Fast East,
Southeast Asia or Indian subcontinent
(Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea,
Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands
and Thailand), as deﬁned by the 2010
Census report. Seventy-two percent of
Asian-Americans make grocery shopping
an experiential family affair, according to
IDDBA's What's in Store 2020.

I 

is for Insects. High in protein and
easy to farm and produce, insects
are consumed by 2.5 billion people
throughout the world. Considered good
eating, insects are eaten raw, ground or
fried. The World Atlas estimates more
than 1,000 species of insects are eaten
in 80% of countries worldwide. Some
highlights include crickets in Thailand,
live scorpions in China, deep-fried
A-ping (fried spider) in Cambodia,
ground wasps cooked with seasonings
in Japan and dragonﬂies in Indonesia.
At the end of 2020, two major European
grocery stores announced they will carry
insect products in 2021.

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A 

is for Artiﬁcial Intelligence
(AI). The startup AI Palette, an
AgFunders portfolio company,
is using AI to track consumer food
preferences. Intelligence derived from
the tool found growing desire for foods
that boost mental health and reduce
stress, along with continuing interest in
plant-based products as an alternative to
conventional meat and dairy products
from animals.
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Supermarket Perimeter - February 2021

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