McCormick Just Named Black Currant Its 2026 Flavor of the Year – Foodbeast
McCormick simply dropped its 2026 Flavor of the Year and accompanying Flavor Forecast, and this time, the highlight belongs to Black Currant.
The deeply hued berry was chosen for its distinct but balanced profile—candy, tart, and wealthy unexpectedly—and for its rising presence on menus and in kitchens all over the world. In the U.S., Black Currant has been quietly gaining momentum as the subsequent “it” berry, exhibiting up in every part from pastries and savory reductions to cocktails that lean daring however refined.
According to McCormick, Black Currant’s attraction lies in its versatility and depth. It’s vibrant with out being overpowering, refined with out being valuable, and versatile sufficient to bridge candy and savory functions with ease. In different phrases: it’s constructed for the best way individuals are cooking and ingesting proper now.
Alongside naming the Flavor of the Year, McCormick additionally launched its 2026 Flavor Forecast, outlining three main traits shaping how we’ll eat within the yr forward.
The first is Attainable Opulence, a response to ongoing value sensitivity and burnout. Consumers are nonetheless craving indulgence, however they’re discovering it by means of elevated flavors and small luxuries woven into on a regular basis meals reasonably than reserved for particular events.
Next is Simple to Spectacular, a shift towards intentional cooking that values method, time, and high quality substances over extra. In a hyper-digital world, there’s renewed appreciation for doing fewer issues properly—and letting even essentially the most humble substances shine.
The third development, Sauce from Somewhere, displays a rising fluency in world flavors. Consumers are more and more interested in regional tastes and are utilizing sauces, dips, drizzles, and spreads as a low-commitment approach to discover cultures, join cuisines, and deepen on a regular basis meals.
Since 2000, McCormick’s Flavor Forecast has tracked and anticipated shifts in how the world eats, calling the rise of flavors like Chipotle, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Korean BBQ, Ube, and the now-ubiquitous “swicy” wave. With Black Currant main the cost into 2026, the way forward for taste appears daring and balanced.
“Blackcurrants” by Oliver, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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