Culinary Roots
Ingredients to watch
The culinary roots trend celebrates local history and provides
chefs with an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the recipes
that are intrinsically linked to their identities.
But while the recipes are deeply personal, the ingredients that
bring them to life are coming to wider attention. Consider
incorporating these into your heritage creations to help set your
cooking apart.
Finger Lime
Boasting local provenance, finger lime continues its climb to
widespread adoption as chefs find a growing number of ways to
use it across the menu. Valued for its texture, acidity and
interesting appearance, finger lime makes a striking addition as a
garnish for oysters and scallops, tossed through a salad or grain
bowl, as a key flavour in a dressing, or even sprinkled over vanilla
ice cream or a lemon tart.
Turmeric
Turmeric is an earthy, golden root used for centuries in South
Asian and Middle Eastern cooking. Now known internationally for
its flavour and health benefits, turmeric often appears in lattes,
soups, sauces and wellness bowls. Its deep colour and anti-
inflammatory properties have made it a staple of heritage
recipes, and the possibilities for its use continue to grow.
Black Sesame
Regularly used across East Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine,
black sesame offers a nutty and roasted flavour. It’s a perfect
complement for ice cream and tahini-style spreads, savoury
crusts and plant-based milks, and it is often employed for
texture and a hint of bitterness in sweet and savoury dishes.
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tangy, somewhat sweet pulp used in cuisines from
Thailand to Mexico to India. It adds umami and lightness to
chutneys and sauces that represent diverse culinary traditions.
Its global versatility and bold flavour make tamarind a go-to for
chefs crafting cross-cultural casual dining dishes and sauces.
Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented soybean product from Indonesia, rich in
protein and gut-friendly probiotics. Its firm texture and nutty
flavour make it ideal for grilling, stir-frying or marinating.
Tempeh fits perfectly into plant-based and fusion menus,
bridging Southeast Asian tradition with modern health trends.
South American Chillies
Increasingly finding their way onto local menus, chillies from
this region offer a broader spectrum of flavour than
conventional chilli varieties. The likes of aji panca (mild and
smoky), aji rocoto (intensely hot) and aji limo (fragrant with
citrus notes) allow chefs to build heat, aroma and complexity
while drawing on the growing influence of Peruvian and broader
Latin American cuisines.
From trend to table
More ways to put this trend into practice
The Culinary Roots trend honours local
history, inviting chefs to spotlight the recipes,
flavours and traditions that are deeply
connected to who they are.
Discover Culinary Roots Recipes
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