Flooded with flavours!

While half of the guests visiting confectioneries prefer vanilla and chocolate ice cream, the other half is ready to try other flavours as well. Creative confectioners constantly work on innovation, developing increasingly special flavours and experiences. There are three major areas for innovation: flavour, consistence and adherence to health trends. According to Péter Róth, managing director Topgel Kft, making stable but creamy ice cream was still too big a challenge for the profession only ten years ago. Today, this is what we get practically everywhere. However, restaurant owners fail to fully appreciate the potential of ice desserts. As György Sziszák, managing director of Gelatino Italiano tells us, chocolate and vanilla are still the most popular flavours but exotic fruits have become very popular as well. Decoration is also a major factor of successful sales. Each year, representatives of the global ice cream business meet in Italy, at exhibitions where the latest products, flavours and technologies are presented. This year’s Sigep held in Rimini was attended by a Hungarian team. Though organisers did their best to promote specialities intended for restaurants, Péter Róth does not see much potential in these creations, because he thinks ice cream is a dessert. Chefs and confectioners have definitely very different ideas about what an ice cream should be like. Some innovations like cheesecake or honey ice cream have appeared in Hungary earlier than in the international market. In any case, the world continues to love chocolate. In the opinion of the Italian Academy of Ice Cream, the long term trend is ice cream as dense as solid food. Flavouring which also serves as decoration on ice desserts like variegats or chocolate in various forms is also increasingly popular. Special ice creams for health-conscious consumers is another major trend. Demand for sugar free and low fat ice creams is growing constantly. Yoghurt based ice cream is very popular in wealthy countries but its high price is a major obstacle in the Hungarian market.