International Cuisine Picking up Steam
By Ryan Flanagan
Wherever you look, especially in larger cities, international cuisine seems to be everywhere. Of course there’s Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and African. But what about Serbian, Turkish, Ethiopian or Moroccan? There are restaurants for every cuisine you can name. Even dishes like Pad Thai have been popping up on the menus of traditional roadhouse-style restaurants.
It’s a far cry from even 30 years ago, when ‘ethnic food’ meant Chinese, Italian and Mexican.
The explosion of international cuisine brings with it plenty of good things - new foods and flavours to spice up menus that have perhaps been static for a long time - but also some negatives, as restaurateurs might feel pressure to experiment for experimentation’s sake, and might not know the best way to incorporate these new influences into their menus.
Anna Stolee, marketing manager with McCormick Canada, says that the key for any restaurateur is to know their customers and what their customers are ready for.
“You need to understand where your customer is in the evolution of ethnic cuisine,” she says.
For higher-end restaurants, that most likely means using authentic international ingredients and cooking methods, as well as making sure the menu calls attention to the international origins of the dish.
For restaurants that are a bit more casual, and are unsure about where to start with adopting international cuisine, Stolee suggests that exotic-themed appetizers and side dishes might be good first steps.
“You could put a Thai curry coconut soup on your menu for example, or samosas,” she says. “People tend to be a little more adventurous in their appetizers.”
“Any restaurant can have ethnic food,” says Shayne Keary, district sales manager for Flanagan Foodservice, cautioning restaurateurs to avoid the pitfall of having just one ‘token’ international dish.
“You can’t just have the one section on your menu that’s ethnic; you have to have a bunch of other products on there as well,” he says.
Keary also preaches patience for restaurateurs - the first international dishes on the menu might not be huge hits, and some trial and error might be necessary before a restaurant can settle on dishes that their customers are happy with.
Even if individual menu items borrowing from international cuisine are a little too far to push things right now, Stolee suggests, an exotic dip or sauce can be added to an existing menu item to provide that first nudge in the international direction.
“If you have a chicken sandwich, you could put Tandoori mayo on it,” she explains. “You’re not taking them all the way to a unique protein or taste experience, however you’re allowing them to try new flavours on a base they’re already comfortable with.”
Other potential dishes in the same vein could include offering a traditional sandwich on flatbread, or adding piri piri sauce as an optional topping for chicken wings.
Butter chicken is another example of this concept in action. “Butter chicken is so successful because it’s chicken,” says Stolee. “It’s accessible. People aren’t afraid of it. The only thing that’s risky is the flavour.”
Keary agrees that butter chicken is a great example of international food that’s just close enough to established North American tastes to reach high levels of popularity, and notes that other reasons for the increasing popularity of international cuisine include sustainability and health benefits.
“Traditionally, North American dishes have more preservatives and more fat content,” he says.
There are some pitfalls to avoid, though. Stolee cautions restaurateurs not to advertise their food as international unless it truly is. After all, it’s easy enough for a customer to look up authentic international cuisine on the Internet, and if what they just ate doesn’t fit what they’re reading, they won’t be impressed.
“In this day and age, we have all the chefs on TV showing their techniques, playing with spices, showing ways to prepare food,” says Keary, noting that consumers have greater awareness of international cuisine than they ever have before.
“There’s now a better understanding of what authentic ingredients and cooking methods are,” agrees Stolee. “Don’t put a Thai chicken salad on your menu if you’re going to use generic dressing.”
For restaurateurs looking to incorporate international flavours into their menu, one major question is just which culture’s cuisine to adapt - after all, there’s no shortage to choose from.
In a McCormick study, respondents were asked whether they would be likely to purchase a menu item based on different cultural cuisines. The top three remained the same as they’ve been for decades, as Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cuisines all saw near-unanimous approval, but not far behind were Greek, Thai, Vietnamese and Mediterranean cuisines. Food with Japanese, Indian, Korean, Cuban and Brazilian influences were also popular with respondents, each receiving more than 50 per cent positive responses.
Keary agrees that Asian cuisine is popular, and adds that Middle Eastern restaurants and dishes - such as shawarma - are on the upswing as well, as is southern-style barbecue.
Even baby boomers, though they might be less likely to set foot in an ethnic restaurant, are coming around to international dishes in their favourite restaurants.
“Canadians across the board are ready for bigger flavour,” says Stolee.
