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Traditionally known as the “herb of love,” this intensely aromatic flower belonging to the mint family is aromatic, slightly sweet and considered a perfect addition to many dishes. It is mostly added to salads, dressings, baked goods and desserts, but its use in lavender sugar gets rave reviews. The lavender flower can be blended with herbal teas and also used to create nectar which bees use to create delicious, high-quality honey.

Let’s take a look at the various forms of lavender on the menu, in social media, and in new products.

Lovely Lavender

Print & Social Media Highlights

There are several mentions of lavender in social media. Here are some of the highlights. 

On Pinterest, lavender pins appear in a wide variety of food and beverage recipes especially baked goods. We spied honey lavender cheesecake, lavender and lemon tea cookies, lavender macarons filled with lavender ganache, and blackberry lavender popsicles. In addition, we spotted coconut lavender iced coffee, lavender honey chicken, vanilla lavender limeade, overnight oats with lavender chia pudding, and a wild blueberry lavender smoothie.

 A Twitter search shows tweets mentioning lavender including a recipe from @noshrecipesclub for “Lavender lemon poppy seed muffins,” and “Creamy lavender sauce served over bow-tie recipe” from @BestRecipes. 

On Food.com 1,040 recipes appear when you search for lavender. Recipes include grilled salmon with lavender, pink grapefruit sorbet with lavender, Victorian lavender cookies with rose water, lavender cosmopolitan, and lavender vanilla crème Chantilly.

We are also spotting lavender in print publications. Here are some of the highlights.

In the June 2016 issue of Martha Stewart Living are the best ways to grow and harvest lavender at home. The magazine provides a step-by-step approach to drying the lavender, important for preparing the lavender for use in foods.

In a November 2016 blog posting on The Alternative Daily, lavender seeds are put into a dryer satchet as an all-natural tension reliever.

Lavender: More than Just a Flavor

Aside from its delicious addition to most dishes, lavender has some functional benefits as well. The polyphenol compounds in lavender are said to help to fight bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, making it a useful tool against bloating and indigestion. It is also good in calming itchy skin and fighting off dandruff when used in oil form. This is due to its natural anti-inflammatory tendencies. This will help to cut down on itchiness, swelling and redness. Ultimately, it is also a great healthy addition to dishes that is sure to enhance any flavor.

Source:  Health Magazine

Lavender on the Menu

Q3 2010-Q3 2016

 Lavender Infused Lemon Drop Martini- Pizza by Elizabeth’s

Lemon Lavender Souffle: Urban Farmer

Berry Meringue and Lavender Bavaroise: The Penrose Room

Pretty in Pink / Rhubarb Tart with Honey Lavender Ice Cream: MK The Restaurant

Lavender has 338 Menu Mentions, with Top Restaurant Segment being Fine/Upscale.

346 Global New Product Introductions

93 North America New Product Introductions

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FONA CAN HELP!

Let FONA’s market insight and research experts translate these trends into product category ideas for your brand. They can help you with concept and flavor pipeline development, ideation, consumer studies and white space analysis to pinpoint opportunities in the market.

Our flavor and product development experts are also at your service to help meet the labeling and flavor profile needs for your products to capitalize on this consumer trend. We understand how to mesh the complexities of flavor with your brand development, technical requirements and regulatory needs to deliver a complete taste solution. From concept to manufacturing, we’re here every step of the way.

Contact our Sales Service Department at 630.578.8600 to request a flavor sample or visit www.fona.com.

Sources:

Mintel GNPD

Mintel Menu Insights

Health Magazine

Pinterest

Twitter

Food.com