Want to spice up your cooking? Try this purple potato and other food trends

With the start of a new year, I thought a column on trends would be fun. I discovered some trending foods and flavors that I had never heard of. It was a bit humbling but also motivation to do more digging.

First up is ube. Autocorrect keeps wanting to change the name of this tuber to Uber, but no. This is the Tagalog word for tuber.

Ube is a bright purple sweet potato from the Philippines. It is said to be sweeter than a typical sweet potato and with a nuttier vanilla taste. An orange sweet potato gets it color from beta carotene. Ube gets its rich purple color from the antioxidant anthocyanin.

Like most antioxidants, anthocyanin reduces inflammation and the risk of cancer. Being high in fiber, ube nourishes gut bacteria. Ube is often made into jams called halaya, which can be added to cakes, bread and other treats. Bottles of ube extract are available online. A must for anyone wanting a bright naturally colored purple cookie.

Yuzu. Yuzu is a citrus fruit originally from Asia. It is described as sour and highly fragrant. Similar to a combination of lemon, orange and grapefruit with a slightly herbal flavor. The fruit is difficult to find, but the juice is readily available. It is used in savory dishes similar to vinegar. It is added to foods for its fragrance and citric essence.

Kokumi. This is an interesting one. Some call it the sixth taste. Kokumi is a Japanese word that translates to rich taste. It is said to add “craveability” to food.

The taste of kokumi occurs naturally in fermented foods like miso, soy sauce and fish sauce. Kokumi is said to increase the roundness of a flavor. I unknowingly made a dish rich in kokumi that had my husband almost licking the plate. I thought it was the umami but now I think it was a double header — umami and kokumi.

Here’s a quick and tasty recipe: https://nomnompaleo.com/sheet-pan-chicken-and-mushrooms

For ube, recipes check out www.angsarap.net

Sheah Rarback MS, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Miami.

This story was originally published January 15, 2022 at 11:13 AM.