Ethnic Foods: Europe’s Flavor Wheel

ethnic

Ethnic pizza in Italy, crepes in France, ratatouille-vegetable stew in Southern France, currywurst in Germany, herring in Netherlands, Crème Catalan in Catalonia in Spain, and the famous English breakfast – while these classic cuisines represent only the tip of the massive iceberg, the list of ethnic foods is virtually unending. Europe’s food industry has been witnessing robust expansion of the ethnic foods market over the past few years, making it become the fastest thriving category in supermarkets across Europe.

By Rachit Kumar, senior consultant, Food & Beverages, Persistence Market Research

Transforming taste palate of consumers has been the objective of the food industry housing an ever-growing landscape of constantly changing consumer behavior. The continuum of shifting preferences holds significant control over this segment, rapidly sprouting supermarket chains are focusing on reaching out to changing consumer choices by offering the most trending varieties of ethnic food products, ingredients, and cuisines. While European buyers perceive the ethnic category as the next big thing in the food sector, manufacturers also have found the unparalleled significance of catering to the persistent demand for traditionally favored products.

Globally, over 60% of the population is ready to try new flavors occasionally, of which merely 15% seem to actively seek novel flavors and tastes. In important observation associated with consumer perception about ethnic food products indicates that Baby Boomers are less likely to try new flavors, whereas millennial and Gen-X populations prominently drive the demand for unique tastes and flavors. Moreover, the millennial consumers register higher favor for bold, spicy, and ethnic flavors while ordering food products online. This expanding divide between the taste and flavor preferences of young and senior consumers repeatedly calls for a product mix that perfectly blends both innovation and familiarity. Ethnic foods are constantly witnessing innovation to cater to the comfort zone of the Baby Boomers and at the same time, offering an all new, bold, and exciting experience to the millennial consumer.

Serving more of ethnic on Europe’s plate

While globalization has its own set of consequences, it predominantly causes migration – fueling the travel and tourism industry. Travelers play a vital role in influencing the food culture and has been taking the ethnic food to a whole new level. Immigration has been experiencing a major thrust through the past decade, which has played a crucial role in pushing the ethnic foods demand. In an effort to examine the exact impact of the ethnocentrism and the common neo-phobic tendency among European consumers on the ethnic food consumption patterns, a recently conducted choice experiment focused on the predilections of indigenous consumers towards ethnic foods. The ultimate objective was to check the influence of the two aforementioned attributes on the potential buying decisions of consumers. The study however unleashed that consumers often prefer culturally similar foods – that in turn points to ethnic food products.

Increasing economic affluence is pushing the progress of ethnic foods market in Europe at a rapid pace. While migrants raise the demand for traditional food formats and authentic flavor combinations from their respective home regions, thriving foreign tourism tends to boost the demand for exotic foods from the domestic population. Local brands are strategizing the development of packaged meals based on a particular set of consumption patterns, by identifying the optimum suitability of specific food formats and most sought-after combinations of popular flavors. Higher acceptance of ready meals among European consumers will continue to support R&D efforts of manufacturers, creating a heap of new opportunities in the near future. However, it is imperative to comprehend the popular local flavors to target individual consumer palates.