From international flavors and infusions to seafood and funky cheeses, consumers’ palates are changing in 2015. To keep everyone up to speed, The Food Channel identified the “Top Ten Sandwich and Salad Trends for 2015,” a list compiled in a collaborative effort with CultureWaves and sponsored in part by Heinz Foodservice.
This year’s top ten trends include:
1 – The New Enhancements: Infused flavors, chunky additions, ketchup/mayo mixtures—anything to enhance the experience and the flavor.
2 – Vegetable Infusions: It's never been easier to eat your vegetables as cauliflower is turned into pizza dough, broccoli goes into the sauce, and roasted asparagus goes on top.
3 – Global Flavors: Had a bahn mi sandwich yet? Or a donar kebab? Watch for it—you likely will! Global influences are getting stronger and sandwiches are a great carrier to try them out.
4 – Cheese Choices: Burrata, fontina, gruyere, and brie are all coming into prominence. Salads and sandwiches significantly change flavor and texture profiles with a difference in cheese choices.
5 - Daypart Agnostic: Salad for breakfast is now a thing, particularly as certain fast food restaurants are experimenting with all day breakfast offerings.
6 – Seafood as the Protein of Choice: Pay attention to soft crab, whitefish, and trash fish.
7 – Grain Salads: Think about a grain salad made with tabulah or quinoa, or enhanced with freekah, spelt, or chia seeds.
8 – Sandwich Breads: Bread is some of the hottest news in sandwiches. Pretzel bread, brioche, and Hawaiian rolls are mainstream, and banana flour is the newest choice for gluten-free bakers.
9 – Beyond French Dip: You already order "dressing on the side," so just add cheese dip, ranch dip, salad dressing or apple butter and you change up the flavor just enough for it to be new again!
10 – Wilted Salads: Far from withering on the vine, today's salads are thriving once put into a hot skillet. You get the nutrition and benefit of salad greens with a different flavor from charring or searing.
The complete analysis can be found here.
