Some things just don’t go well together, like oil and water, food and white clothes, drinking and texting your ex.
On the other hand, sometimes things can be a match made in heaven, such as dairy and fruit.
Now you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, what?” and I get that.
This isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when we think of either of these.
We know that people love the creamy indulgence of dairy, and right now, in the heat of summer, the sweet and refreshing taste of something fruity can’t be beat.
Each may be delightful in their own right, but together, they can become something truly special.
In fact, between tried and true traditional pairings, creative recipes constantly trending on social media, innovative and nostalgic products bursting into the marketplace fruit and diary developments are in the forefront of consumers minds!
Social Pairings
TikTok and other social media platforms have been hotbeds for unique, creative, and sometimes weird recipes that shouldn’t work but somehow do.
At the heart of many of these viral food sensations is our combination of conversation.
One, perhaps, infamous example over the past year was the Korean dessert/beverage hybrid hwachae (화채). The “it’s 3 am and I’m dehydrated” version of this traditional fruit punch dish, a combination of fruit (especially watermelon), ice, lemon-lime soda, and, yes, (strawberry)milk, started with many sceptics for obvious reasons. While not everyone was converted, it quickly flooded for your pages (FYP), with many users loving this cool, creamy, and highly refreshing treat.
Less controversial and maybe more representative of the power of pairing dairy and fruit together was the popular Brazillian Lemonade. People went crazy for how the smooth creaminess of the sweetened condensed milk perfectly balanced the tartness of the limes.
While hyperbole is commonplace in social content, the chorus of “Soooo good!” may have been an understatement.
From fruit roll-ups filled with ice cream to cottage cheese ice cream filled with fruit and so many more, the marriage of fruit and dairy looks to be a viral recipe power couple. It also seems to be proving that the saying “the internet isn’t real life” isn’t always true.
Oranges and Cream…Everywhere
Nostalgia isn’t anything new, but newstalgia, when it comes to food and beverages, is bringing the tastes of the past to entirely new audiences.
A flavour in particular that is capturing the heart of a whole new generation is the creamy, citrusy wonder of an orange creamsicle.
While this profile might not bring back the memories of ice cream truck jingles and running around in the blistering summer sun for every generation, it’s so good that it doesn’t have to.
Last month when I visited Chicago I tried Jeni’s ice cream – my flavour of choice was burnt orange dreamsicle but it isn’t just coming back in the familiar form of ice cream or ice lollies (those are popsicles/ice cream bars for the international readers). Instead, it might be easier to say where you can’t find it.
From soft drinks to hard seltzers, fast-food drive-thrus to candy aisles, even coffee creamers and skin care products are claiming this flavour for their own.
It truly can be found almost everywhere and in almost everything, so much so that it may be becoming the pumpkin spice of the summer.
Though this orange and cream duo is entering rare territory with its rapid expansion, the combination of fill-in-the-blank fruit and cream is a classic (and consistently trending) pairing in yoghurts, ice creams, fine dining, and more for a reason.
Why? It works.
Again, why? This time let me be a little more technical.
Fantastically Functional for a Reason
I’ve talked about a lot of recent examples of dairy and fruit having success together, but they have a long history of being a delicious dynamic duo.
Going further back than strawberries and cream at Wimbledon, we see it in baking and desserts, wine and cheese, and even fruit and cheese.
There is a reason for this, and it starts with their ability to play off each other’s strengths. Dairy is naturally quite fatty. This is part of what contributes to the creamy, rich indulgence it’s known for.
Fruits, in all of their various forms, are typically light, crisp, and refreshing. Paired with their sweetness is often a sour, tart, or even bitter characteristic.
These go hand in hand because the acidity and freshness of the fruit can cut through the fattiness of the dairy, lifting up and balancing the flavour notes of both.
On the other hand, the fresh creaminess of dairy can add depth and richness to some fruits, providing its own balance to the partnership.
This is, of course, the base level of why this works so well. When we move from fresh dairy like cream, milk, and even butter to the layered complexity of cultured and aged dairy like yoghurts and cheese, there is even more at play.
For example, aged Irish cheddar will have more meaty and umami notes, which will require it to be paired with something more zesty to uplift the combination.
You might be saying to yourself, “I really understand now, why these two things pair so well together, but what does this have to do with functional foods?”
Everything, and here’s why.
Functional food and beverages are relatively new to the market, and with new products developers like to play it safe in the flavor department. This often leads to companies leaning hard into fruit flavours for their product.
Unfortunately, these functional ingredients can come with a host of unwanted off-notes, and fruit aromatics and flavours may lack the complexity to deal with them fully.
As Edlong Junior Flavorist Peter Kern discussed in his recent article “Functionally Indulgent”, authentic dairy flavours are uniquely positioned to help mask and work with such off-notes in ways other profiles can’t.
Adding this to the natural match of fruit and dairy together, developers have a real opportunity to take two things that usually don’t mix, like healthy and indulgent, and turn them into a delicious match made in heaven. Discover how by contacting our team of global R&D experts!
About the Author: Emily Sheehan, Applications Manager, EMEA
Hi! I’m Emily Sheehan. I’m the Applications Manager, EMEA at Edlong, and my job is rooted in creating exciting new possibilities for our people and processes. It’s inspiring to reflect on how much Edlong has achieved and even more amazing to be involved in such thoughtful innovation. We enjoy pushing boundaries in food and flavour, and we welcome everyone in the food industry to join us. If you’re in need of expertise or inspiration, I’d love to collaborate and help you design flavour solutions that resonate with consumers!
Topics: Dairy flavorsFunctional Foods
Resource Type: Article
Resource Region: EULATAMUS