Most of us know what makes our favourite food and snacks so delicious, but let’s look deeper into the cause. Usually in natural flavourings, nature-based ingredients are used to provide the delicious tastes for anything from cakes to pet biscuits.
Vanilla Extract:
Water is added to grain alcohol and yeast, along with the vanilla beans. Vanilla is quite possibly one of the most commonly used natural flavourings in existence. It is made by soaking vanilla beans within an alcoholic solution. For Natural Flavourings, visit Foodie Flavours
Citrus Zest and Oils:
Fresh zest or oils from the skins of lemons, oranges and limes carry a citrus punch. They are most commonly used in baking, beverages or added to lighter/blander (savoury) dishes for a bit of zesty brightness.
Herbs and Spices:
Examples are basil, mint, cinnamon and ginger. In addition to being consumed both whole and in extracts, these can present as a warm undertone at the base of an infinite number of recipes. Specifically, cinnamon and ginger are popular when it comes to treats.
Fruit Juices and Purees:
Flavours such as strawberry, raspberry and apple juice bring natural sweetness to yoghurts, snacks and other products. These are particularly used in children’s food snacks and healthy munching.
Nut Extracts:
Used for its bold flavour in cakes and coffees, almond is complemented by the deep taste of hazelnut extract.
The catch is that most of these “natural” flavourings have to be processed in order for their essence to be extracted from them. They still have a familiar and comforting quality that the fake stuff can never live up to though.
Next time you are checking the label, see if any of these nature-inspired favs make an appearance!