By building menu offerings around wild blueberries, wild-caught salmon and other wild ingredients, operators can position themselves to win over guests who are motivated to eat more cleanly.
In a Technomic study of 1,000 consumers, 73% said they associate wild ingredients with natural eating—another way to describe clean foods, which are free of preservatives, additives and artificial flavors and colors. That “wild” menu description also adds a premium halo: Over half of Gen Xers, millennials and Gen Zers said they would pay more for the same dish if it featured wild versus cultivated foods.
Beyond boosting favorites such as blueberry muffins, pies, preserves and smoothies with their intense blueberry flavor, wild blueberries hold their own in a variety of menu applications, from sweet to savory. Here are a few innovative ideas.
Chefs have long relied on fruit sauces to balance out and lighten the heavier flavors of meats, but some are taking the combination to new levels. At GT Prime, Giuseppe Tentori’s Chicago steakhouse, Seared Foie Gras stacks thickly sliced house-made brioche with foie gras for richness; wild blueberries and a sherry vinegar gastrique bring acidity to balance the dish. Tyler Kinnett, executive chef at Harvest in Cambridge, Mass., creates a wild blueberry agrodolce, a sweet and sour sauce, to pair with pork. The pork is marinated in fennel and garlic, charred on the grill, then topped with the wild blueberry agrodolce and fresh basil.
At Hyde School in Bath, Me., a campaign to embrace plant-based foods has tipped the menu heavily toward vegetables, fruits, beans, grains and seeds. The boarding school’s nutrition director, Michael Flynn, formerly worked in a healthcare environment and has seen firsthand how a poor diet affects health.
At Hyde School, he and his staff strive to provide healthy and craveable plant-based choices that tempt students to rethink their habits. A surprising favorite, even among non-vegetarians, is a wild blueberry burger made with Maine wild blueberries, quinoa, chickpeas, cilantro and red bell peppers.
Wild blueberries often give a pop of dark color to fruit salads, but their sweetness provides a mildly sweet flavor note to savory salads as well. The Rainbow Salad at FuD Restaurant in Kansas City, Mo., is a color riot of local lettuce, purple & green cabbage, avocado, apple, carrot, cucumber, mixed bell peppers, vegan Parmesan substitute, violet onions, pecans, wild blueberries and microgreens served with a sunflower dressing.
At Noodlecat, an Asian-inspired noodle house in Cleveland, the Super Salad brings together super foods such as kale and wild blueberries with collards, bok choy, matcha, kimchi, granola, “super seed mix” and ponzu vinaigrette dressing.
In the U.S., pierogies or varenyky—dumplings popular in Poland, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries—typically feature savory fillings such as seasoned potato, mushrooms, sauerkraut or cabbage. But in Europe, it’s also common to find them stuffed with fruit, which results in a lighter dumpling, and served as dessert, often with melted butter, fruit sauce or sour cream. Wild blueberries, prunes and other fruits stand up well as fillings without much more preparation than a bit of sugar and possibly a thickening agent.
Learn why top food marketers and trend watchers love Wild Blueberries by watching the Power of Wild video, featuring Mark Schatzker, author of The Dorito Effect, 2015.
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