Its preparation is a labor of love, and we’re seeing it in everything from savory dishes and spreads to breakfast toast. Black garlic is known for its rich, smooth and sticky texture, somewhat similar to roasted garlic. But this root has an earthy, umami-packed flavor that is more subdued than raw garlic. This is thanks to a month-long fermentation process. During fermentation, the sugars and amino acids react, resulting in a dark, pigmented color. The fermentation process also reduces the pungent odor and strong flavor of white garlic, making it more appealing to consumers.

Let’s take a closer look at the various forms of black garlic on the menu, in social media and new product introductions.

Black Garlic Spottings

Print & Social Media Highlights

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

• On Pinterest, black garlic pins were spotted and appear in a wide variety of food recipes, but especially in savory sauces and dishes. We spied mushroom & black garlic pate, crispy Brussel sprouts with black garlic aioli, black garlic vinaigrette and Tonkotsu ramen with black garlic oil. Additional recipes include roasted butternut squash with black garlic and miso, black garlic butter, and black garlic tofu.

• A Twitter search shows tweets mentioning black garlic including one by @GarlicMatters featuring oat bars with chocolate and black garlic ganache. Also spotted was a tweet from @the_feedfeed with a caramelized Szechuan fried cauliflower with black garlic.

• A wide view of social media shows that black garlic is most popular on Twitter, with 54 mentions on July 14 alone. “Black garlic” was paired most often with the words roasted, sauce, ramen, and aioli.


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

• In February 2017, the Washington Post provided step-by-step methods to on how to make your own black garlic at home. Because this fermented product is time consuming to create and quite expensive to purchase at the store, it suggests making it at home on the quick for a fraction of the price.

• In March 2017, The Huffington Post featured three black garlic recipes. They provided tips & tricks to using it at home in your kitchen. They say you can turn it into a delicious salad or even add it to a batch of brownies.

Black Garlic on the Menu

We spotted 99 mentions of black garlic on menus nationwide, with fine dining/upscale as the top segment. Black garlic was used most often in entrees.

• Kobe Filet with Black Garlic Purple Potatoes, 1500 Ocean

• Sweet Potato Caterpillar with Black Garlic Teriyaki, Sunda

• Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Black Garlic Caramel, Public

Black Garlic Global New Product Introductions

There were 57 new product introductions featuring black garlic globally, with Seasonings as the top sub-category.

Products of Note

• Cauliflower, Kale & Black Garlic Soup with Sunflower Seed Sprinkles: UK

• Black Garlic Oil Flavored Potato Chip: Hong Kong

• Black Garlic Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles: Japan

Black Garlic North America New Product Introductions

We've spotted nine product introductions in North America. The top sub categories were seasonings and cooking sauces.

Products of Note

• Simply Ghee Black Garlic Ghee

• Garlic’s Purity Plus Black Garlic Bruschetta

• Maple Lodge Farms Black Garlic & Peppercorn Cooked Chicken Breast

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, Livestrong Magazine, Pinterest, Twitter, Food.com