Sponsored by Grecian Delight | Kronos
Consumers are increasingly looking to incorporate global cuisines into their diets when they dine at restaurants.
According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2023 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast, globally influenced flavors will continue to be important to consumers in the year ahead. Globally inspired salads, for example, were among the top 10 trends predicted for 2023, as were some other specific global cuisines.
Younger consumers in particular are interested in global flavors and ingredients. Datassential reports that 50% of the parents polled say their children like exploring adventurous ethnic cuisines, and both Gen Z and Generation Alpha are having a significant influence on dining decisions.
More than half of Gen Z respondents in a recent Datassential survey reported eating globally influenced foods other than Chinese, Mexican, or Italian in the last week, and nearly half—48%—of millennials reported doing so. Gen X and baby-boomer respondents were less likely to have eaten globally influenced foods, at 34% and 19%, respectively.
Beyond the basics
Diners are looking beyond the basic Mexican and Chinese offerings for global culinary experiences. Dishes from these cuisines have become so ubiquitous that they are now essentially considered American foods.
This creates opportunities for restaurant operators to explore other cuisines from around the world to find dishes that meet consumers’ demands for new and interesting flavors and ingredients. Enter the diverse and flavorful bounty of Mediterranean cuisine, exemplified by the popular dishes and rich culinary heritage of Greek foods.
Research from Datassential shows that both Mediterranean and Greek cuisines are on the upswing on U.S. menus. They are in what Datassential describes as the “proliferation” stage, indicating strong popularity with room for further potential growth.
The gyro is a classic example of the type of menu item that meets today’s consumer demand for globally inspired flavor experiences. The word “gyro” means “to circle or turn around,” stemming from the way gyro meats—which can include beef, chicken, lamb, or pork. Gyros are traditionally slow-roasted on a vertical spit that spins, allowing chefs to shave off slices, but can now be purchased pre-cooked and pre-sliced allowing any operator (regardless of their equipment) to serve gyros. The seasoned meats are traditionally folded into pita bread with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce, and can also include peppers, onions, and feta cheese.
“What was once for many Americans outside of Greek enclaves a curiosity festival item has, over the past decade or so, become a culinary juggernaut,” says Estiator, a magazine dedicated to the Greek American food industry. “Gyro is today a street food that is popular throughout the country, and throughout the world.”
The magazine noted that many of the large gyro suppliers have been expanding their product offerings into ancillary items including pitas, tzatziki, hummus, and others, and also supplying what it described as gyro’s “ethnic cousins”—shawarma, al pastor and carne asada, for example, as well as plant-based alternatives.
“In general, there is a great deal of demand for ethnic street-food products, which of course is our key niche market,” Peter Parthenis Jr., president and CEO of Grecian Delight Kronos Foods told Estiator at the time of the Grecian Delight-Kronos merger. “This is what market intelligence is telling us, and, more importantly, this is what we’re seeing in the market ourselves.”
Other Greek specialties
In addition to gyros, other Greek specialties that are popular in the U.S., and which can be incorporated into foodservice operators’ Mediterranean dishes include:
• Tzatziki sauce—This traditional gyro topping, which can also be used as a dip or a topping for other dishes, such as burgers, is often made of salted, strained yogurt or diluted yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, and sometimes vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley, and thyme.
• Pita—This round flatbread made from whole wheat flour is found throughout the Mediterranean region, and can be stuffed with ingredients or folded around them to create hand-held dishes similar to sandwiches or tacos. They can also be sliced or torn into pieces for dipping into hummus or sauces as an appetizer or snack.
• Spanakopita—This savory Greek pie is made from layers of crispy phyllo dough with a spinach and feta cheese filling. It can serve as a main course or as a side dish with proteins, or alongside a traditional Greek salad.
• Moussaka—Akin to lasagna, Greek moussaka is a classic comfort food traditionally made with layers of seasoned ground beef and eggplant (instead of the pasta used in lasagna), and topped with béchamel sauce. Sliced potatoes and sometime zucchini can be used instead of or together with the eggplant.
Greek cuisine offers a breadth of flavorful options for foodservice operators seeking to expand their globally inspired offerings to appeal to today’s consumer demands. Visit https://gdkfoods.com to learn more.