McCormick For Chefs is announcing the 23rd Edition of the Flavor Forecast, the brand’s annual report on the latest culinary trends shaping the way millions of consumers, chefs and food professionals prepare and enjoy food worldwide. Along with the trends report, the McCormick global culinary team also announced its inaugural Flavor of the Year: Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning. 

This year, nearly four dozen global chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers, food technologists and team members from around the world collaborated by tapping into their own expertise and passion for flavor, uncovering the most stand-out predictions and trends that are identified in McCormick’s Flavor Forecast 23rd Edition, including

● Full Flavored Fats: No longer misunderstood, fats are used now being consumers and chefs alike, from butters to oils, to impart flavor and creaminess into everyday dishes and drinks, which offer a simple, comforting richness to the kitchen and a more balanced approach to eating. 

● Everyday French: Grounded in the techniques and ingredients of French cooking, but democratized for today’s kitchen, French cuisine has never been more approachable while using the best ingredients and culinary techniques to build a harmony of flavors and lay the foundations for food and beverage to come. 

● Beyond Heat: We’ve witnessed an exciting evolution to this new, multi-sensorial, layered taste experience that pushes beyond the singularly spicy realm, where heat and ingredient pairings come together to shape how heat is perceived and how long it lingers and finishes. 

McCormick will bring the trend report to life through its first-ever official Flavor of the Year, Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning, which is a bright, complex reflection of the innovations in food and flavor taking place on a global level. With influences in French cuisine and a prominence of heat throughout both, the seasoning is a culture crush of key ingredients—cayenne and paprika in classic Cajun tradition and lemongrass, garlic and black peppercorn, customary in Vietnamese recipes—that complements each Flavor Forecast trend identified for 2023. 

"This year, McCormick is rolling out its most intriguing Flavor Forecast report yet, unveiling key trends that will shape the way that consumers prepare and enjoy foods for the next year," said Kevan Vetter, executive chef, senior director of culinary for McCormick. "With the inaugural Flavor of the Year, Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning, McCormick is demonstrating the culinary masterpiece that emerges when cuisines are combined. Through our activation in the Metaverse and tasting event, in partnership with Smashburger, we’re excited to bring these flavorful concoctions to consumers.” 

McCormick will also bring the Flavor of the Year to local New York consumers through a limited-time partnership with national restaurant chain, Smashburger. On Dec. 7th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., foodies will be able to sample an assortment of milkshakes, wings and tater tots, made with McCormick Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning at Smashburger’s Chelsea location (370 7th Ave., Suite 101, New York, NY 10001), while supplies last. Limit one sample per person. Consumers will also be able to learn how McCormick Vietnamese x Cajun Style Seasoning perfectly complements a wide variety of dishes, ranging from everyday favorites to gourmet cuisine. 

In conjunction with this year’s Flavor Forecast, McCormick will be venturing into Decentraland, a blockchain-powered area of the Metaverse, to launch “House of Flavor by McCormick” on Dec. 13th. This immersive live virtual destination will allow fans to experience flavor in a world without taste allowing users to explore McCormick’s Flavor of the Year, discover Vietnamese Cajun dishes, earn one of three unique wearables (terms apply; while supplies last) and interact with content featuring some of the chefs who inspired this year’s Flavor of the Year. To learn more, visit www.mccormick.com/houseofflavor. 

Once again, McCormick will celebrate the innovative chefs who inspired this year’s trends and Flavor of the Year, partnering with both Chef Trong Nguyen (Crawfish and Noodles, Houston) and Chef Cesar Zapata (Phuc Yea—pronounced “fuhk-yai”—Miami). Chef Trong is a one-time Top Chef judge and original innovator who uses layering to bring out all the flavors of Vietnamese-Cajun cuisine, and Chef Cesar is an innovator who is taking the influences of classic Vietnamese and Cajun cuisines and creating new-world versions.

Sources: McCormick Flavor Forecast; McCormick For Chefs; McCormick & Co., Inc.