Why ‘newstalgia’ is flavour of the month at Gulfood

Putting a fresh spin on tastes that rekindle memories is all the rage, according to experts at Dubai event

Dubai chocolate is a great example of two trends coming together to create one global phenomenon. Getty Images

It's not just a well-timed, well-executed TikTok video that was behind the huge success of so-called “Dubai chocolate” but also a trend dubbed “newstalgia”, according to experts at Dubai's Gulfood this week.

Newstalgia is a fresh spin on nostalgia that takes old flavours that might remind people of their childhoods and turns them into something new. “Forty per cent of global consumers are seeking flavours tied to the past,” said Alan Smith, chief executive of food and beverage brand Agthia on the first day of Gulfood's inaugural Food500 summit. “While 80 per cent of Gen Z crave nostalgic food.”

Smith said Fix Dessert Chocolatier's knafeh pistachio bar, which became a global phenomenon and is now known simply as “Dubai chocolate”, is a great example of this trend in action.

Opportunities for the Middle East

It also ties in with another current preference for cultural flavours, he added. “Regional flavours are no longer just confined to their origins. Harissa from North Africa, zataar from the Levant and sambal from Asia are all flavours being used around the world to create new products wrapped up in local tastes,” he said, giving other examples like popcorn flavoured with Worcester sauce, a staple condiment in British households.

Alan Smith, chief executive of UAE-based food and beverage company Agthia, shares the industry's top five trends at Gulfood's inaugural Food500 summit. Katy Gillett / The National

This brings with it massive opportunity for the Middle East. He uses the example of hawaij, a Yemeni ground spice mixture that's become popular in coffee, dessert and soups across the US, replacing other historically favoured flavours such as cinnamon and pumpkin spice. “Shawarma croissants were also a big trend in New York City,” he added.

“Regional flavours are global favourites. There are huge opportunities, because we have incredible taste and culture and history, but this is not just about the Middle East. It is a fusion of taste and flavours around the world.”

Samantha Wood, founder of impartial restaurant review website FooDiva.net, says the success of venues like Orfali Bros Bistro, which has a Michelin star and ranked top of World's 50 Best Middle East & North Africa list, is a testament to the appetite for Middle Eastern cuisine globally.

Orfali Bros Bistro finds new and creative ways to serve Middle Eastern flavours. Photo: Orfali Bros

“Middle Eastern flavours have always been popular internationally, however we’re now seeing dedicated restaurants representing this region's cuisine popping up to huge success, like Fadi Kattan’s Palestinian restaurant in London, Akub,” she tells The National. “The restaurant trend that we are seeing globally is a focus on a specific country’s cuisine within the very broad Middle Eastern region.”

Regional flavours, global appeal

Similar opportunities exist for other regional cuisines, too, particularly within the UAE, where demographics from all over the world have settled. At Gulfood this week, food products company Orkla India announced its line of preservative-free five-minute Keralan breakfast dishes will be available across the Emirates from June.

It took the company two years to develop packets that recreate classic Keralan dishes such as puttu, idiyappam, idli, dosa and palappam in three easy steps. The aim is to preserve time-honoured culinary traditions, while also catering to the modern, time-conscious consumer.

Other great examples of newstalgia on display in Dubai this week include Milaf Cola, the world's first date-based soft drink, which was launched in Saudi Arabia at the end of last year. Singapore's Chia Kim Lee Group is showcasing its new Sagiko carbonated beverage creations, which include soursop, tamarind and lychee flavours. From Thailand, there's a durian-flavoured peanut bar and from Northern Ireland there are chip shop curry-flavoured coated chickpeas.

Belgian-owned Zenko Superfoods is using ancient “superfoods” to create plant-based, healthy snacks like water lily pops seasoned with Himalayan pink salt. Also known as makhana, these are the seeds of the water lily flower and have been harvested in the foothills of the Himalayas for more than 2,000 years. They have been sourced from natural ponds, sun-dried, roasted with olive oil and then popped to create a crunchy snack.

Spinneys supermarket chain in the UAE also noted a rising demand for Asian snacks in its annual trend report, from hwachae drinks – a general term for traditional Korean punches made with fruits and flowers – to candied fruit skewers known as tanghulu and the popular wheat-based Chinese treat spicy latiao.

Halima Jumani, chief executive of UAE's online grocery store Kibsons, has also seen a rise in interest around newstalgia. "Home flavours like chutney flavoured, wasabi flavoured crisps, rose water ice cream or tiramisu kunafa are increasingly popular as consumers are looking for variety and innovative combinations that they can relate to and enjoy," she tells The National.

Give all these flavours a modern twist, make them healthy and throw in some sustainable packaging, and you've hit the trend jackpot, said Smith. “Consumers are looking for bold flavours, better-for-you ingredients and sustainable packaging wrapped up in affordable price points.”

Malaysian brand ecoBrown has done just that with its Brice seaweed wholegrain rice puffs – also proudly on display at Gulfood – which are baked (“never fried”), high in dietary fibre and a source of vitamins B3, B6 and E.

“The future of food lies in experiences that resonate,” said Smith. His biggest piece of advice? Don't just wait for a trend like Dubai chocolate to simply follow. “Start one yourself.”