The Future of Asian Flavor in America

Looking to the future, the strong trend toward Asian flavors in America and throughout the Western world shows no sign of slowing. In America, Asian food is reaping the benefits of a number of converging trends, especially health and convenience.

Although Chinese and Japanese food are likely to remain Americans' top Asian choices, the cuisines of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will also increasingly be considered standard Asian fare, industry observers predict. In fact, tempura, Southeast Asian satay, Vietnamese sandwiches, curry and Mandarin chicken salad kits already show signs of one day becoming mainstays of "American" food.

Pan-Asian foods that mix and match cuisines are also seeing a surge in popularity, as restaurateurs lead the way by building on traditional Chinese and Japanese dishes with up-and-coming Southeast Asian flavors, particularly Thai and Vietnamese.

U.S. retail sales of Asian foods continue to jump, and Asian Americans are the fastest-growing major U.S. ethnic group, in percentage terms. But this expanding appetite for Asian flavors is being driven by both ethnic and mainstream American consumers, say experts.

In fact, industry analysts project that mainstream consumers will buy 75 percent of all ethnic foods in the next decade.