Sweetcorn gains popularity in UK 'swavoury' food trend

The most recent 'swavoury' craze dominating online platforms involves sweetcorn-based ice creams and pastries.

This observation comes from Crystelle Pereira, a cook and former participant in the Great British Bake Off, well-regarded for her inventive flavour pairings.

Although sweetcorn is a common ingredient in desserts across South East Asia and Latin America, in the UK it has typically been restricted to uses such as sandwich fillings or pizza toppings; however, this trend could be shifting.

Over recent weeks, this vegetable has become a frequent sight on social media, integrated into various sweet dishes including cookies, ice cream, and cheesecake.

Experts who monitor food trends note that sweetcorn is increasingly appearing in "some exciting and unexpected guises" within the British culinary landscape.

Crystelle Pereira, a chef and former contestant from the Great British Bake Off, asserts that sweetcorn is suitable for inclusion in desserts.

Shokofeh Hejazi, from the food trend agency thefoodpeople, explains that this phenomenon is part of a broader culinary movement, sometimes termed the "swavoury" trend, which combines sweet and savoury tastes not traditionally paired together.

Further examples of this trend include purple sweet potato ice cream, cheesecake accompanied by carrot compote, or chocolate bars containing salty potato chips.

Hejazi suggests that sweetcorn's inherent flavour and its capacity to be blended into a creamy consistency make it an ideal candidate for this trend.

The vegetable has been frequently featured across social media in various dessert forms, even in cookies.

Pereira indicates that sweetcorn's integration into British desserts and drinks is progressing "very slowly easing its way" into the mainstream.

She expresses enthusiasm, stating that she genuinely believes the combination of sweetcorn and desserts is exceptional.

Pereira notes that people have grown accustomed to sweetcorn in savoury dishes like tuna and sweetcorn sandwiches, thus perceiving it solely as a savoury component, but she emphasizes its inherent sweetness.

Pereira experienced a realization last year during a holiday in Thailand, where she observed sweetcorn being widely incorporated into sweets, from custard tarts to jellies and ice creams.

To encourage her UK followers to experiment with this vegetable, she created a sweetcorn latte, inspired by a frappé she enjoyed on her trip, blending sweetcorn with coconut milk and espresso.

She explained her motivation, saying that she wanted to demonstrate its versatility, and believed sweetcorn's resemblance to condensed milk would make the drink more acceptable to those new to sweetcorn beverages.

Lisa Harris, co-founder of the food consultancy Harris & Hayes, points out that the growing interest in sweetcorn can also be attributed to the UK's "unstoppable" demand for South Korean cuisine, which is influencing dietary habits.

Pereira has continued to promote the use of corn, recently preparing a Brazilian lemonade, which uses limes instead of lemons, and accompanying it with corn milk.