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Flavors
With taste notes such as Earl Grey tea, fennel, chocolate and root beer coming into vogue, now is the time to encourage
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customers to try flavor-forward jams, preserves and marmalades. BY NICOLE POTENZA DENIS
hether it's a hint of dark chocolate, zingy heat or fragrant herbs, an explosion of unexpected flavors have opened up the sweet spreads category to much more than topping toast. Jams, preserves and marma- lades are being used in salad dressings, marinades, meat and fish glazes, as cheese complements and as ingredients in sandwiches, smoothies and cocktails. Here are some of the standout flavor trends.
Herbs in the Mix
A leading flavor push is the inclusion of herbs such as basil, fennel, rosemary and lavender in traditional sweet fruit spreads. "Sweet and savory flavors in jams are starting to pick up speed by companies who are pushing uniqueness," says Brian Connelly, grocery buyer for Olivia's Market, Chicago. At Sallie's Greatest Jams, Cameron, S.C., for example, fresh basil gives the Strawberry Basil Jam its wow factor. "When you
marry fresh herbs with fresh fruit you get a multi-dimensional flavor and an unexpected result that people love," says owner Sallie Porth. She says the Strawberry Basil Jam is great for traditional uses such as pairing with cream cheese on a bagel, but also can serve as a salad dressing component with the addition of a few tablespoons of equal parts white balsamic and extra-virgin olive oil.
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