Flavor inspiration from the Pacific Rim, i.e. Asia, Oceania and the western coasts of North and South America, are popping up in grocery stores and restaurants as people continue to explore more of the world through their palates.
Ingredients like longganisa (a Filipino pork sausage), dried shrimp, cuttlefish and shrimp paste are on restaurant and home menus that span from breakfast to dinner, while vibrant tropical fruits such as guava, dragon fruit and passionfruit are making their way into colorful smoothie bowls and cocktails. Jackfruit is a popular meat alternative already being used in place of items like barbecue pulled pork, while an extract of monk fruit, an ultra-sweet-tasting fruit also known as luo han guo, can be used as a sweetener replacing added sugars.
In 2019 Whole Foods Market and their 365 Everyday Value brands will launch a limited collection of refreshingly sweet products inspired by Pacific Rim fruits like guava tropical vinaigrette, pineapple passionfruit sparkling mineral water, mango pudding mix and passionfruit coconut frozen fruit bars.
So if you’d like to try putting some Pacific Rim on your plate, check out Whole Foods’s “Pineapple Passionfruit Tropical Sparkling Mineral Water,” 365 Everyday Value “Guave Coconut Swirl Fruit Bars,” 365 Everyday Value “Pacific Rim Dried Mixed Fruit with Jackfruit and Guave”, or perhaps some Lakanto “Monkfruit Sweetener” on for size.
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