Levantine

The Levant is currently one of the hottest global regions for culinary exploration. Known for its healthful slant, staple ingredients of this region include chickpeas, peppers, eggplant, mint, lemon and yogurt, most of which are common across the eastern Mediterranean. Ingredients of this region are showing extensive growth on menus due to growing interest in both ethnic cuisines and leading a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, most people are familiar with many of the feature ingredients already. Due to the positive associations consumers have and the diversity of ingredients, there is significant opportunity for both Levantine and Non-Levantine restaurants to feature this region’s cuisine throughout their operations.

• It’s very easy to take dishes and ingredients from the Levant and create plant-forward dishes.
• 44% of consumers have not tasted Levantine fare (or at least weren’t aware) but would like to and think it sounds good.
• With tourism growing in the region we should expect consumer interest in and trial of Levantine cuisine to continue to grow in the coming years.