US Economic Media Highlights Restaurant Menu Trends This Year
Recent Popular Menus Feature Spicy and Sweet 'Maepdal' Flavor
Significant Use of Gochujang...Record High Export Volume
Recently, a menu known as 'Maepdal'?spicy and sweet?in American restaurants, and as 'Maekom Dalkom' (spicy and sweet) in Korea, has gained great popularity. It is reported that many of these menu items use Korean gochujang as a seasoning. On the 22nd (local time), the U.S. economic media CNBC published an article titled "Swicy Items Take Over Restaurant Menus," reporting that "the hottest food trend this year is the spicy and sweet flavor."
Shake Shack's Korean-style fried chicken sandwich. [Image source=Shake Shack official website capture]
'Maepdal (swicy)' is a newly coined term combining 'spicy' (meaning hot) and 'sweet.' CNBC explained, "Although this term does not actually appear on menus, it is widely used to refer to the rise of sweet and spicy foods."
According to market research firm Datassential, about 10% of all restaurant menus in the U.S. include these 'Maepdal' items, which is a 1.8% increase over the past 12 months. Furthermore, these menu items are expected to increase by 9.6% over the next four years. CNBC reported, "Recently popular menus mainly use fruit flavors combined with various chili powders or sauces like Korean gochujang and honey."
A representative example is Shake Shack's "Korean-style Fried Chicken Sandwich." Inspired by Korean cuisine, Shake Shack introduced a sandwich featuring chicken coated with gochujang seasoning, which became very popular in the U.S. John Karangis, Shake Shack’s executive chef and vice president of culinary innovation, said, "Of course, we have received a lot of positive feedback from customers, but we also heard comments like 'It could have been a little spicier.'"
Taste trend analyst Kera Nielsen told CNBC, "The combination of spicy and sweet flavors has existed in the U.S. for decades, but recently the proportion of spiciness has increased significantly." She added, "Especially since the 2010s, the spicy honey product from the American food company Mike’s Hot Honey has regained popularity, and recently, with the rising popularity of Korean cuisine, particularly the spicy and sweet gochujang, more people have been seeking this flavor combination."
According to trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service, last year’s gochujang export value reached a record high of $61.92 million (approximately 85 billion KRW). This represents a 17.8% growth compared to the previous year, with the United States ranking first among countries at $21.1 million (approximately 29 billion KRW).
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