In January 2023, the Winter Fancy Food Show was held in Las Vegas, NV and brought the $175 specialty food industry to the forefront of global food trend forecasting.
To be considered a ‘specialty food’ by the Winter Fancy Food show, brands must produce small-batch, premium foods that serve a unique market and are made from high-quality ingredients. At the show, the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel identified key themes emerging in new product development from over 1100 specialty food exhibitors. One of the emerging trends is what the Panel called “nuanced heat.” (FoodBusinessFood.Net)
What Is Nuanced Heat?
According to an article by SpecialtyFood.com, the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel noted a desire for brands to feature bold, spicy flavours that give traditional snacks a little kick. These flavours are more nuanced than traditional spices and come in various flavours and spice levels.
New products like honey, cheese, snacks and beverages with a range of chilli spice flavours were fan favourites and a big win for the panellists. In an interview with SpecialityFood.com, panellist Mikel Cirkus (Firmenich) summarised it best: “What began in the hot sauce category is exploding into honey, spreads, confections, beverages, and snacks, snagging new markets like younger consumers, especially, and inspiring specialty food companies to introduce heat and spice into existing product lines.” (SpecialityFood.com).
Using “Nuanced Heat”
If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of a new cooking “trend” and how you’ll possibly use it at home, relax. It's only by using new ingredients that you will learn how and where they fit in your life. As Tasting Table points out, you will learn what the flavour profile a specific spice brings to your food, only through experience.
Trying new recipes will help familiarise you with the smells and tastes of new spice combinations. Seek out “new, adventurous recipes that use spices” that help you put newfound skills to the test ... and practice using nuanced heat.
Our Recipes For Nuanced Heat Flavours At Home
Nothing says Canada like our national drink: the Caesar! Made with Canadian whisky, an assortment of spices and our hot honey glazed bacon, this Hot Honey Caesar will surely be a crowd favourite at your next brunch or barbeque.
African Bronze Piri Piri Honey Nuts
We love these spicy sweet African Bronze Piri Piri Honey Nuts that pay homage to our roots and use our wild forest African Bronze honey. While these delicious snacks are traditionally made with ants, ants aren’t always in season, so we opted to create this recipe with almonds instead! The kick in this recipe comes from your favourite Piri Piri hot sauce.
Our Hot Honey Mustard Glaze - Perfect For Your Next Holiday Ham
Honey and mustard go together like Ham goes with Easter (or Thanksgiving!). For a crowd that loves a little spice, we like to up the hot factor on this recipe by swapping out our traditional honey with our homemade African Bronze hot honey.
Nothing says YUM like a hot honey butter on a freshly baked biscuit or cornbread. Add this recipe to your next barbeque or dinner party for an easy way to spice up a traditional side dish.
Honey And Goat Cheese TikTok Pasta
Looking for an easy, delicious win for your next dinner party? Have some guests who like a little extra spice? Why not try swapping traditional honey for African Bronze hot honey for a tasty, one-pot pasta meal that’s sure to be a hit.
Make Your Own Hot Honey
Have a dish that calls for hot honey or are you looking for a way to add a little kick to your next meal? You can buy our hot honey, or turn our African Bronze honey into a classic hot honey with only a few simple steps.
- Add one cup of African Bronze Honey to a small saucepan and heat over low heat (NOTE: Don’t heat the honey beyond 45º C or 113º F.
- Add a tablespoon of your favourite chilli flakes (fresh is best!)
- Stir the honey and chill flake mixture for 3-5 minutes, keep the heat low
- Remove from heat and add teaspoon of our Honey Vinegar
- Cool and store in a dark, cool place in a sterilised jar
**Homemade hot honey will keep for up to three months if stored correctly**
Hot honey is sweet, sticky, a little spicy and perfect for drizzling, pouring, dunking or spreading. We love using our African Bronze Honey (with a little spice!) as a spread for cornbread, a drizzle for pizza or a sauce for chicken wings.
Our Honey
Whether trying one of our recipes or adventuring into a new dish yourself, African Bronze Honey is a kitchen staple and must-have for any pantry.
Here’s how our honey is different from the traditional, agriculturally manufactured honey you find in grocery stores:
- It’s raw, unpasteurized and comes to you directly from the forests of southern Africa
- making a difference in our world by providing sustainable income for more than 10,000 beekeepers
- helping to preserve pristine African forests
- chock full of powerful, natural benefits, like antioxidants and polyphenols
African Bronze Honey is far superior to mass-manufactured, commercially made honey and we are undertaking a second round of scientific research to verify the nutritional benefits. We have been named Best for the World Changemakers three years in a row. We are Certified Organic (Eco Cert), a Member of the Fair Trade Federation, and a Canadian Food Agency Licensed Honey Processing Facility. And we’re working towards becoming plastic-free!
