McCormick predicts this flavour will dominate menus in 2026

A bowl of black currant berries. (SilviaJansen/iStockphoto/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Black currant’s origins are in Europe and central Asia, but spice maker McCormick predicts the tart berry will soon be big in American dishes and drinks.

McCormick has named black currant as its 2026 “Flavour of the Year,” part of its annual report on dining trends that helps the company develop products consumers want to buy.

These kinds of annual reports can help companies stay fresh in the minds of shoppers. But this year’s spice is also notable because it underscores the way price-squeezed Americans are looking for small luxuries in a tough economy and cooking at home more to offset the high cost of dining out.

Flavour forecasting assists the brand in bolstering it portfolio, which includes Old Bay, Frank’s RedHot and French’s, according to Neil Saunders, managing director and retail analyst for GlobalData.

It’s also a strategic tool for McCormick, as the 136-year-old company fends off growing competition from trendy startups and cheaper private labels.

“This keeps the McCormick brand visible, and it probably drives sales of some of the products featured,” he told CNN. “Of course, it doesn’t completely offset things like the threat from private labels, but it is more helpful than not.”

Although McCormick’s stock has lost more than 15 per cent of its value this year, the company’s most recent earnings report beat analysts’ sales expectations because people are increasingly cooking at home. The company lowered its annual profit forecast, however, citing tariffs and rising commodity costs.

The report identifies other trends that McCormick predicts will become more popular next year, too.

McCormick found that sauce experimentation has exploded in popularity, a shift visible across the fast food industry. Plus, the concept of “attainable opulence” is rising, with diners treating themselves to small extravagances, partially as an escape from economic uncertainties.

Black currant ties back to the latter trend because “it really does signal opulence,” said Hadar Cohen Aviram, McCormick’s executive chef, noting its rich purple colour and that the berry can “elevate many dishes to take them from simple to spectacular.”

Researching the report

For the flavour report, McCormick deploys a global team of about 80 people, such as chefs, marketers and food technologists to spot a trending flavour. Black currant was seen in liqueur in Europe, a vinegar in Australia and as a pork glaze in Singapore.

It’s starting to appear on menus in the United States, Aviram told CNN, notably in cocktails and soft drinks when “it needs that little oomph of tartness and fruitiness.”

Black currant appears on just one per cent of U.S. menus, but it’s climbing fast, according to Datassential Menu Trends. Mentions of the berry have jumped 34 per cent over the past 12 months, the firm told CNN, driven largely by the rise of non-alcoholic beverages.

Beyond drinks, Aviram sees potential use in baked goods and gamey meats like duck or pork.

Choosing a flavour that many people haven’t heard of is the point of the report, now in its 26th year. Aviram said that it helps give ideas to home cooks, manufacturers and food service providers.

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By Jordan Valinsky, CNN