A golden crust defines shio pan. A soft interior and a delicate sprinkle of salt complete the bread’s appeal. Shio pan now captures global attention across bakeries and social media feeds. Bakers pull apart warm rolls to reveal airy layers and melted butter inside. The visuals prove irresistible on TikTok and Instagram. Shio pan began as a humble bakery staple in Japan. Today, it sparks curiosity among food lovers worldwide. From café counters to viral recipe videos, shio pan reflects a growing fascination with global bakery traditions. Consumers crave texture-driven comfort foods, and shio pan delivers exactly what they want. Curious to know how shio pan conquered the world. Read its story below.

A Japanese bakery classic built on simple ingredients

Shio pan translates to “salt bread.” The bread first gained popularity in Japan in the early 2000s. Bakers traced its origins to Pain Maison in Ehime Prefecture, Bakers wrap butter inside soft dough, shape it into a crescent, and sprinkle coarse salt on top before baking. As the bread cooks, the butter melts and crisps the bottom while the interior stays light and airy. The contrast between crunchy crust and soft crumb creates the bread’s signature texture.

Many bakeries serve shio pan warm with only butter and salt, allowing the quality of the ingredients to stand out. Home bakers and professionals continue to recreate the bread globally. Recipes such as the one from Okonomi Kitchen explain how melted butter forms the crispy base and rich aroma that define the bread.

Social media turns shio pan into a global bakery movement

Social media plays a major role in the bread’s recent surge in popularity. Creators frequently post close-up videos where they tear open of warm rolls to reveal airy layers and melted butter inside. These “butter pull” moments deliver satisfying texture visuals that perform especially well on short-form platforms. Food & Wine notes that TikTok helped raise global awareness of salt bread, with videos highlighting the crisp base and soft interior gathering millions of views.

Some TikTok videos featuring the bread have attracted more than a million likes. In one widely shared example, creator Erin Lim showcases the buttery interior of freshly baked salt bread. The video captures the dramatic “butter pull” that has helped the pastry trend online. While the trend is now sweeping across Western social feeds, salt bread gained strong momentum earlier in Japan and South Korea, where bakery culture and café trends helped propel the roll to viral status. In Seoul, for example, bakeries such as Jayeondo Salt Bread attract long lines for freshly baked batches of the pastry.

As interest grows, bakeries around the world have begun offering their own versions of shio pan. Some stay close to the classic recipe, while others introduce fillings such as ham, cheese, or sweet custard. Creative variations featuring flavors like black sesame or sweet fillings also appear on bakery menus. For example, bakeries in Singapore offer versions such as Black Sesame Mochi Shio Pan, which combines the nutty flavor of sesame with chewy mochi inside the buttery roll. These adaptations allow bakeries to maintain the bread’s simple buttery profile while introducing new sensory experiences that appeal to local tastes.

Translating bakery trends into flavor innovation

The rise of shio pan highlights a larger movement in global bakery culture. Consumers increasingly seek foods that deliver comfort, indulgence, and strong sensory appeal. Butter aroma, warm bread notes, and subtle saltiness create a balanced flavor profile that resonates across cultures.

Symrise closely tracks emerging culinary movements, such as Japanese bakery culture. Flavor experts translate these inspirations into solutions for baked goods, snacks, and ready-to-eat products. By capturing the sensory cues behind trends such as shio pan, Symrise helps brands recreate the comforting experience that makes simple foods resonate worldwide.

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Raspberry pink lip balms, blue raspberry toothpaste, berry lemonades, and festival desserts might seem worlds apart. While together, they signal a bigger shift. Berries are moving beyond the jam jar and becoming inspiration across food, beverage, and beauty. Their bold color, bright flavor, and nostalgic appeal make them perfect for playful, sensory products that resonate with today’s consumers. From café menus to personal care routines, berries are getting reimagined in fresh and unexpected ways. Read on to learn more!

Raspberry returns to the beverage spotlight

Raspberry continues to gain momentum in cafés and ready-to-drink beverages. In early 2025, Starbucks brought back its raspberry syrup after removing it from menus two years earlier. Strong customer demand drove the decision and quickly sparked new drink combinations across social media. Fans began experimenting with custom drinks and sharing their ideas online. In one Reddit discussion, Starbucks customers trade suggestions for raspberry-based drinks and “secret menu” combinations, from raspberry lemonades to berry-infused espresso drinks. The return also inspired drinks like Raspberry Cream Cold Brew, which pairs cold brew coffee with raspberry cold foam and vanilla syrup.

Beyond coffee shops, brands continue to expand raspberry into fruit-forward beverages and wellness drinks. Culture Pop introduced Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade probiotic soda to meet growing demand for lighter, functional drinks with recognizable fruit flavors. Together, these launches highlight raspberry’s shift from a classic dessert flavor to a bright, refreshing ingredient across beverages and wellness formats.

Flavor becomes an active ingredient in beauty

Berry inspiration now expands into beauty and personal care. Brands increasingly use flavor as a sensory tool to differentiate products and create memorable routines. Australian oral care brand Hismile demonstrates this shift. The brand transforms teeth-brushing into a flavor experience with toothpaste varieties including: Blue Raspberry, Grapple Berry, and Strawberry. Hismile extends the concept with matching lip balms that echo the same flavors, showing how flavor can reshape everyday personal care rituals.

Berry notes also influence fragrance and haircare. Fragrance brand Commodity blends strawberry, rhubarb, and raspberry pulp into its Juice perfume, highlighting the juicy complexity of red-berry accords. Meanwhile, Indian haircare brand 3TENX incorporates raspberry seed oil into its Hydrify Gloss Mist to support hydration and heat protection.

In color cosmetics, berry tones continue to shape makeup trends. Raspberry shades appear across lip products and blush palettes, often paired with playful textures. Milk Makeup’s Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush highlights the rise of jelly formats in makeup, delivering sheer berry color with a cooling feel. Rhode takes a similar approach with Peptide Lip Tint in Raspberry Jelly, which blends glossy berry color with lip care.

Berry ingredients also drive skincare innovation. Raspberry extract contains antioxidants and vitamins that support hydration and help protect skin from environmental stress. Brands increasingly highlight these benefits in serums, creams, and lip care products.

Together, these examples show how berry color, flavor cues, and ingredient benefits help beauty brands create playful routines that resonate with younger consumers.

Heritage berries reenter the culinary conversation

Alongside raspberry, heritage berries such as boysenberry are also gaining renewed attention. The hybrid fruit, which combines elements of blackberry and raspberry, has become the centerpiece of the annual Knott’s Boysenberry Festival in California. The event celebrates the berry that helped establish Knott’s Berry Farm nearly a century ago. Each spring, chefs create dozens of new dishes built around boysenberries, from pastries and cocktails to savory sauces.

Festival menus highlight the fruit’s versatility across sweet and savory formats. Events like this help bring regional ingredients back into the culinary conversation while inspiring new flavor experimentation.

What it means for flavor innovation

For flavor innovators, the berry revival highlights the power of familiar ingredients with strong sensory identities. Raspberry offers a bright, adaptable flavor that pairs easily with citrus, botanicals, chocolate, and floral notes. Heritage berries like boysenberry add depth through regional storytelling and culinary experimentation.

For companies like Symrise, these fruits provide a versatile foundation for innovation across beverages, dairy products, bakery, confectionery, and personal care. As brands continue to explore playful textures and cross-category experiences, berries are likely to remain a key source of inspiration.

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Ready to test out some of the most crave-worthy food trends right now? Crunchy coatings, creamy centers, and dramatic pulls are dominating social feeds. Texture has now become as important as flavor in indulgence. These sensory contrasts heighten satisfaction, amplify cravings, and boost shareability across food and dessert formats. Social media trends like #Crunchtok prove that consumers want food that feels as good as it tastes. The snap, the stretch, and the crackle form part of the experience. Expect continued innovation as manufacturers experiment with layered formats, bold inclusions, and hybrid concepts. This follows a simple goal: stand out in a crowded market! Curious what comes next in texture-driven indulgence? Read on.

Sweet on premium confectionery

Do you love tasty surprises? Multi-layered eating experiences deliver indulgence through mouthfeel. Texture now signals premiumization and drives emotional satisfaction. Also with rising cocoa costs, brands continue to pursue premium strategies. Superior ingredients, ethical sourcing, and surprising flavor pairings elevate familiar formats. Lindt’s limited-edition Premium Tokyo Style Matcha Strawberry Chocolate captures this shift. White chocolate infused with ceremonial matcha surrounds a 36% matcha-strawberry cream filling and crunchy Genmai (Japanese roasted rice). Only 1,000 hand-numbered bars reached the market, each priced around €14.99. Every bite feels crafted, collectible, and experience-led.

Dubai-inspired concepts extend beyond chocolate. Dr. Oetker introduced Dubai Style Pudding in Croatia, adding a luxurious angle to everyday desserts. Global Foods News (@globalfoodnews) highlights the creamy texture and rich pistachio notes. The flavor profile channels the opulence of Dubai-style sweets, elevating a classic pudding into a premium sensory moment.

Fruit forward

Fruit-forward flavors bring a new wave of excitement to classic confectionery. Bright, juicy notes continue to refresh classic confectionery formats and attract younger consumers seeking playful twists. Ferrero Raffaello leans into tropical indulgence with a Limited-Edition Mango variant. The launch pairs the brand’s signature creamy coconut-almond profile with vibrant mango notes. The result feels familiar and transportive. The limited release is currently available in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Katjes reimagines iconic products through contrast. The brand introduced a SOUR Edition across three classics: Yoghurt Gums, Alpaka Cola, and Grün-Ohr Hase. Sour Yoghurt Gums deliver a surprising creamy-meets-sour combination. The flavor clash feels fresh, playful, and tailor-made for Gen Alpha and Gen Z consumers.

Calling all snack enthusiasts

Beyond fruit-forward twists, pop culture and nostalgia continue to shape the indulgence landscape. Confectionery now pulls inspiration from toys, collectibles, and café culture to spark desire. Imagine the Labubu craze transformed into a snack. Craved’s Los Bubos reimagine the trendy toy as chocolate-covered treats. Flavor variants such as Creamy Peanut, Matcha Strawberry, and Mango Passion add bold, social-ready appeal. The playful shapes and vibrant profiles position the product squarely within shareable snack culture.

For deeper indulgence, Broderick’s Peanut Caramel Bar delivers handmade Irish confectionery wrapped in smooth Belgian milk chocolate. Layers of peanut paste, flowing caramel, and crisped rice create a multi-textured bite. The award-winning bar taps into demand for nostalgic and elevated snacks. Each square works equally well as an on-the-go treat or a coffee companion moment.

Healthy options & smart starts

As indulgence evolves, wellness shifts from an added benefit to a core expectation. Shoppers now expect comfort and function in the same bite. Morning routines and snack breaks must deliver both pleasure and performance.

Ahead responds with Winter Magic Gummies, protein bars, nut cups, and spreads made with up to 87% less sugar. Classic winter flavors such as Lebkuchen, Marzipan, and Speculoos tap into nostalgia. The formats feel festive yet lighter in nutrition. Better-for-you now carries emotional warmth. Eatwow builds on that balance with Europe’s first chilled, refrigerated meal substitute. The Replace Bar delivers 16 g of whole-food protein and prebiotic fiber for sustained energy lasting 3 to 5 hours. Raw EU honey provides natural sweetness. A cookie-dough texture with chocolate chips creates a dessert-like bite while maintaining a clean label. Satiety meets sensory appeal.

Breakfast innovation follows a similar path. 3 Bears simplifies mornings with overnight oats that combine whole-grain oats, date pieces, roasted nuts, coconut, and cinnamon. Vegan credentials and high fiber content strengthen the everyday proposition. No refined sugar. No artificial additives. Glowkitchen extends the feel-good approach into the bakery. The 100% organic, vegan banana bread uses 30% real banana purée and whole-grain spelt flour. Sugar content drops by more than 52% compared to conventional cakes. Family-size loaves and mini portions support a range of occasions. Social impact projects in Gulu, Uganda, add a layer of purpose.

Across these launches, a unifying thread emerges. Texture drives satisfaction and differentiation. Symrise projects texture-led products to dominate 2026 pipelines, fueled by demand for personalization and experiential snacking. Mouthfeel now shapes perceptions of quality and long-term loyalty.

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Romance and friendship celebrations now come up with imaginative options that add to flowers and chocolate celebrating sensorial synergy. Texture, scent, sound, and immersive moments shape how we express affection. Valentine’s and Galentine’s gifting increasingly signals care through connection, creativity, and wellness. Thoughtful experiences now speak louder than traditional gestures, and the most compelling ideas engage multiple senses at the same time. So, where does this shift become most tangible, shareable, and giftable? The answer starts with texture.

Texture of togetherness

Lyons Magnus’ 2026 Food & Beverage Trend Forecast highlights Textural Maximalism as a leading force, echoed across broader industry reporting. Multi-layered builds, contrasting mouthfeels, and sensory-forward formats gain momentum for 2026. Crunchy inclusions meet silky foams. Velvety bases pair with crackly toppings like caramelized sugar shards or toasted nut brittle. Texture now carries as much storytelling power as flavor.

Consumers seek playful self-expression and sensory depth. Creamy collides with crispy. Chewy balances against aerated and whipped elements. This mindset pushes brands to rethink construction. Drizzles, toppings, flavored foams, and finishing touches heighten visual impact and amplify full-sensory engagement.

Gifting follows suit. Friends lean into “swavory” discovery through bold, fusion-forward assortments. A Bokksu Snack Box offers a taste of Japan with all five senses. International snack subscriptions invite recipients on a global flavor journey, one textured bite at a time. As texture reshapes how food feels and gifts connect, the same sensory craving spills into everyday environments. Comfort now shows up through touch: soft, enveloping, and intentionally soothing.

Soft signals: cozy textures take over

Suddenly, everything leans plush. Retail search data and social media feeds indicate rising demand for cozy accents and textile-driven comfort. Etsy’s Marketplace Insights highlights a surge in comfortable living, with searches for “cozy room decor” climbing 96% year over year. TikTok accelerates the movement, positioning softness as comforting armor against daily stress.

Standout materials dominate the conversation: minky, chenille, fleece, sherpa, sueded scuba, and faux fur. These textures headline ASMR and sensory videos built around tactile calm. DIY and craft content follows suit, with global Google searches for “textured blanket” up 21%. Fashion hauls and outfit styling further reinforce the trend.

European brands, especially across Scandinavia, add credibility through pared-back silhouettes and neutral palettes, allowing texture to carry visual impact. Gifting leans toward tactile and thoughtful. A Minky Designs blanket offers a distanced hug. A fluffy fleece zip-up from Uniqlo delivers warmth with everyday ease.

Sanctuaries of love: experience-led romance takes root

A 2026 Valentine’s Day sanctuary favors presence over presents. Soul Sanctuary, opening in Puglia, Italy, reflects this shift through a slower, nature-led approach to connection and renewal. Founded by friends, the retreat invites pause, breath, and reconnection, an ideal setting for a Galentine’s getaway rooted in togetherness.

Experience now outpaces accumulation. Millennials and Gen Z increasingly prioritize memory-making over material goods. Experiential gifting continues to rise, spanning cookery classes, creative workshops, hotel stays, and adventure-led days. Subscription formats extend the feeling beyond a single moment, offering books, curated treats, craft kits, wellness essentials, or monthly local flowers that unfold over time. This Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day, Symrise celebrates love in all forms: family, friends, partners, pets, and the small pleasures that bring daily joy. Sensorial and experiential connections create memories that linger, strengthening bonds and elevating moments that matter most.

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How does a slow-simmered stew from Jalisco, Mexico, travel from local kitchens to global feeds and menus? Birria traces its roots to cooks who layer beef with chiles and spices to create a rich, warming broth. Once tied closely to place, birria now moves widely, gaining momentum through social platforms that spotlight texture, movement, and depth. The dish fills tacos and quesadillas, then crosses borders into poutine, pasta, and ramen. Each new format reflects a global shift in comfort food culture. Flavor leads the experience. Warmth anchors the appeal. Birria continues to evolve as diners around the world share and reinterpret the dish. To learn more, read on!

Where birria meets ramen

What happens when two comfort icons fuse across cultures? Birria ramen brings together traditions that already travel well. Birria delivers slow-cooked beef and a chile-spiced consommé built for warmth and depth. Ramen contributes chew, ritual, and a noodle format that has evolved across regions for decades. Broth does the work here. Flavor carries across borders.

This pairing reflects a wider pattern in global food culture. Traditional dishes now adapt for new audiences without losing their roots. Global food platform TasteAtlas traces birria back to Mexico while documenting how modern interpretations continue to spread beyond place of origin

Food52’s birria ramen recipe captures that balance clearly. Ramen noodles soak up the spiced consommé. Shredded beef adds richness and texture throughout the bowl. Each bite invites a slower pace. The experience rewards attention. That kind of depth resonates globally. Broth-forward dishes and slow-cooked flavors gain traction across markets, especially during cooler seasons. Diners look for meals that feel grounding and indulgent. Birria ramen delivers both, one bowl at a time.

From social feeds to restaurant menus

Why did birria ramen move so quickly from screens to tables? Social platforms accelerated the shift. Short-form video rewards texture and motion. Steam rises. Red broth glistens. Noodles lift and fall. A widely shared TikTok from creator Samseats shows how a single bowl travels across borders in seconds, driven by visual crave and cultural curiosity.

That attention now shapes menus. Birria gained traction first through taco formats in fast-casual and chain settings, including appearances at Del Taco. Ramen followed as the next natural canvas. In early 2025, Forbes highlighted Tacombi’s launch of birria ramen across New York City locations, signaling growing commercial confidence in the mashup.

Beyond North America, global food culture shows strong readiness for this kind of crossover. Around the world, ramen adapts easily to local tastes. Cooks rework noodle bowls using regional ingredients and global flavor influences, a pattern documented in coverage of ramen’s evolution across cultures.

At the same time, Mexican-Asian fusion continues to shape contemporary menus, blending bold chiles and spices with Asian comfort formats, a pattern widely covered in global food media. Culinary storytelling also frames birria ramen as a thoughtful fusion of Mexican and Japanese traditions, rooted in cultural exchange rather than novelty alone.

By 2026, that progression feels familiar across major food cities. Digital discovery sparks demand. Menus respond. Regional creativity carries new comfort formats forward. Birria ramen continues to move through that cycle, supported by adaptability, visibility, and a shared global appetite for depth and warmth.

A global signal for comfort food

That pattern now shows up in the data. In its November “What’s Hot” report, the National Restaurant Association described birria as a social media darling and pointed to continued growth through creative menu applications. Broader trend reporting supports that view. Business Insider links birria ramen to a global rise in mashups shaped by bold spice, swicy flavor profiles, and comfort foods built for emotional satisfaction.

This direction builds on earlier Symrise insights. In 2025, Symrise highlighted the global rise of Japanese-Italian fusion, showing how diners embrace mashups that feel intuitive and grounded in comfort. Birria ramen fits that pattern. Heritage flavors lead. Modern formats expand reach. Comfort food continues to evolve through familiarity, depth, and global adaptability.

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Curious about the scent and flavor waves shaping 2026? Get ready. The Sweet Science Era is arriving with a next-gen tropical boom that feels both futuristic and nostalgic at once. Think lush guava, velvet cacao, neon-bright açaí, sun-warmed passionfruit. These heritage ingredients remix with lab-led precision, biotransformation, and new extraction techniques.

Creators across fragrance, food and beverage, and wellness use these tropi-modern profiles to build hyper-sensorial experiences that merge indulgence with vitality.  From perfumes inspired by edible aromatics to beverages borrowing from top notes and accords, this wave celebrates curiosity, craft, and joyful discovery. Dive in. The upcoming year delivers a future-forward taste and scent wrapped in a warm tropical glow.

‘Guava Girl Summer’ tickled a trend

According to Spate, fragrance-related Google searches for “guava” grew more than 1,000 percent year-over-year. Guava combinations have also seen over 43 percent growth on TikTok. Alongside skin care, “guava” searches have grown 76% across platforms, with Glow Recipe and Eadem among the leading beneficiaries. Last summer, WWD highlighted why guava-themed beauty launches suddenly surged. Clean fragrance brand Ellis Brooklyn inaugurated a Guava Granita Eau de Parfum, and Anna Sui’s Wild Wonder Electric Whisper features guava as a middle note. Guava perfumes continue trending in editorial and social searches!

The guava buzz goes well beyond beauty, igniting fresh momentum in fashion, food, and beverages. Over the summer, views of foodie guava-related content on TikTok grew 34.7 percent year-over-year, while food-related “guava” searches posted a steady 6.1 percent growth on Google. Driven by viral Asian guava candies, interest in fruit-within snacks skyrocketed 766.2 percent year-over-year. Guava anchors juices, spreads, bakery items, seltzers, ice creams, and yogurts.

Guava continues as a key component of the nostalgic Hawaiian “POG” (Passion Fruit, Orange, Guava) flavor profile, often combined with other fruits like mango and strawberry. Guava emerges as a standout in the tropical premium wave, especially the pink-fleshed variety with its bold visual appeal. High-end RTDs and functional beverages increasingly adopt guava. Guava also taps into the rising swicy (sweet and spicy) movement, frequently paired with chilies and citrus.

Tropical combinations rising

The rising interest in POG signals a shift from single tropical notes to cruise-worthy combinations. Açaí already holds strong as a recognized superfood with an earthy profile, and now the opportunity lies in pairing it in more inventive, modern blends. Just check out the magic of this Passionfruit Acai Bowl! Similarly, Bulk Apothecary’s Passionfruit Guava Fragrance Oil leverages a hedonistic combination of tropical fruits to create a vacation vibe for any dwelling.

In 2026, demand for authentic global cuisines and “fruit-forward heat” drives the popularity of these flavors. The “swicy” (sweet and spicy) trend continues, now with layered profiles. Tropical and citrus fruits like mango, guava, dragon fruit, pineapple, and yuzu collide with the complex heat from jalapeno, habanero, and chipotle.

Mindful indulgence

Gourmand scents are moving into richer, more sensual territory, often driven by cacao. Edible notes like roasted chestnut, smoked honey, cherry, plum, and dark cacao blend with resins, woods, and spices to create indulgent winter profiles. Cocoa is also rising in darker, gothic florals, paired with rose and jasmine for intense, mysterious effects. These shifts reflect the growing appetite for gourmand and opulent fragrances.

Demand for cocoa products is rising as consumers seek indulgent, natural ingredients. Interest in cocoa’s functional benefits has also sparked a wave of “intentionally sensory” products. This momentum is spilling into savory and “swavory” ( sweet and savory) formats, showing up in warm beverages and snacks that pair cocoa with spices or coffee notes.

As flavors evolve in 2026, they extend beyond taste. They offer comfort during ambiguity, signal wellness and care, and spark curiosity through bold new combinations. Scents and flavors become tools for resilience, well-being, and joy in the year ahead. During the recent COP 30, Symrise joined an initiative to bring expertise in sustainable sourcing and supply chain management to the responsible sourcing of natural ingredients. Innovative approaches reward the preservation of standing rainforests and create clear value for climate, biodiversity, and society!

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Craving good food and a real connection? Supper clubs have re-entered the menu.

In the 1930s and 1940s, UK supper clubs drew inspiration from the American cabaret scene, introducing the glamour and rhythm of jazz to local diners. Some took place in informal dining societies. Others mixed dinner with live music for a full night of entertainment. They surged again in the 1950s and ’60s, and now, they’re encountering another moment. The modern supper club has evolved into something more intimate and adventurous. Think of small, underground gatherings where guests share a set menu, often at a secret location that they find out about only after purchasing a ticket.

These new versions carry many names, including home bistros, guerrilla diners, paladares, puertas cerradas, pop-up restaurants, speakeasies, and even anti-restaurants. Each one adds its own twist with the same spirit — bringing people together over great food, conversation, and discovery. Supper clubs entail so much more than dining. They foster community, creativity, and the joy of sharing a meal with strangers who soon feel like friends.

A means of socializing

In 2025, Gen Z and Millennials have been showing strong interest in intimate, in-person culinary experiences. Supper clubs, pop-ups, and cookbook clubs use food to foster social connections, counteract isolation, and even signal social status, according to the National Restaurant Association. These trends highlight food as a catalyst for connection, transcending traditional dining to create distinctive social experiences. In the UK, ‘Underground Restaurants’ and ‘Supper Clubs’ have started to blossom, with reviews in leading newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian. Mainly concentrated in London, people advertise them by word of mouth and on social media networks. Some supper clubs in London appear on Eatwith (formerly known as Grub Club), a London online supper club platform.

The rise of informal culinary gatherings suggests a growing desire for curated, smaller-scale food events, shifting away from large, impersonal gatherings. Temporary culinary events hosted by food influencers, content creators, or even chefs offer unique dining experiences. Food can also serve as a “hook” to engage people, create informal environments, and provide a common topic for conversation, building relationships and addressing isolation. In Latin America, a naturally social region, a supper club typically takes place in an underground restaurant known as either a paladar or a restaurante de puertas cerradas (a restaurant with closed doors). This type of restaurant seems built into the culture, often with higher standards than many licensed establishments. An underground restaurant offers diners the opportunity to try new dishes at affordable prices. It offers a unique, intimate experience outside the traditional restaurant setting. For the host, benefits may include making some money and experimenting with cooking without having to invest in a proper restaurant. As one host told the San Francisco Chronicle, “It’s literally like playing restaurant… You can create the event, and then it’s over.” A retro standby making inroads in this modern dining scene features the ‘Lazy Susan,’ ubiquitous in China and Chinese restaurants. The revolving-topped table makes sharing food a common goal, much like a raclette.

From supper club to raclette night

The renewed love of shared, hands-on dining has also inspired a rise in interactive, communal experiences, like the coziest of them: raclette. This tradition became especially popular during the holidays, and especially Christmas in middle Europe. Gathering the necessary ingredients has become a focus of holiday markets.

Originating in Switzerland, you can imagine raclette as a leisurely, social meal that brings people together. Guests gather around a central tabletop grill, where everyone prepares their own food. They fill small pans with cut food like potatoes, vegetables, etc., and cover it with a special cheese and place them under the heating element to melt while meats, fish, seafood, etc. grill on the surface above. The slow pace encourages conversation and connection as diners return for multiple rounds.

The name raclette comes from the French verb racler, meaning “to scrape,” describing the centuries-old ritual of melting and scraping cheese onto the plate. Traditionally enjoyed during winter, a raclette dinner can last for hours, creating warmth and laughter that fill the room.

More than a meal, raclette captures the essence of modern communal dining — interactive, comforting, and centered on togetherness. The same spirit runs through today’s supper clubs, where connection grows from shared activity, a relaxed pace, and the simple joy of gathering around a common table.

Food has always centered around more than flavor; it fosters shared time, shared stories, and shared joy, especially during the holidays. Symrise continues to follow these evolving dining rituals, celebrating the spontaneity and intention behind pausing to savor new tastes and the communities they create.

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Holidays offer the perfect time to gather, slow down, and share something warm and special. When the weather turns cold and days get busy, all you need comes from a warm bowl of homemade soup. Cozy, comforting, and full of flavor, it represents the perfect way to warm up and wind down. Bring that same comfort to your holiday table with seasonal soups made from fresh ingredients and bold flavors.

Serve creamy and light vegetable bisques as a starter, or make heartier recipes like Italian wedding soup, spinach tortellini, or broccoli cheddar as the main event for a casual Christmas Eve dinner. For the Feast of the Seven Fishes, try a rich seafood chowder or lobster bisque. Or explore global traditions with pho, pozole, tom kha gai, or avgolemono for a festive, flavorful twist. Ready to find the perfect recipe for your holiday menu? Read on for inspiration and ideas to add that certain warmth to your gatherings!

Classic comfort soups

Popular holiday soups for the 2025 season feature rich, comforting classics and modern twists, including creamy options, hearty chilies, and elegant purees. You will certainly earn a lot of praise for serving timeless favorites, including French onion soup, topped with melted gruyère over a baguette slice. Butternut squash or pumpkin soup continues the harvest festivities with a sweet, earthy profile, which you can enhance with spices like sage, a touch of orange, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Creamy potato soup too, has seen a “comeback” in 2025. Clam chowder also offers a popular holiday choice for many families, offering a creamy, satisfying blend of potatoes and clams. Cream of mushroom soup can serve as a light and flavorful option that leaves room for the main course.

Hearty & flavorful options

For a more substantial soup course or a light holiday meal, you can make some great choices with reimagined Italian classics like lasagna soup, tortellini, or vegetable-packed minestrone. Plant-based options abound, such as this spinach, artichoke, and white bean soup. The festive green color alone should make a vibrant culinary statement! New takes on chili styles include pumpkin chili and white chicken chili, offering warm spices and a break from the usual holiday fare.

Top global & regional holiday favorites

Globally, holiday soups in 2025 will blend traditional comfort with innovative flavors, offering a unique blend of nostalgia and modernity. Regional classics like Paraguayan Vori Vori, Vietnamese Phở, and Mexican Pozole are trending alongside vegetable-forward and globally-spiced options in Europe and the Middle East. In Georgia, Kharcho, a flavorful soup made with beef, rice, and cherry plums, offers a rich culinary experience. Harira (Morocco) and Chorba Frik (Algeria) offer vibrant, spiced flavors, while red lentil soups cater to health-conscious trends. Consider soups an all-day option—with ramen bars trending and Japanese miso soup for breakfast!

You can prepare many of these holiday soup recipes ahead of your holiday celebration, freeing up some of your limited prep time. Elevate any soup with garnishes like fresh herbs, a drizzle of cream or olive oil, or homemade croutons. Whether soup serves as a staple on your menu or you’re looking to shake things up, these holiday soups form the perfect addition to your festive meal. Symrise celebrates the way soups bring people together, offering comfort and connection across tables and traditions. Wherever the season takes you, a bowl of soup speaks a universal language of warmth, belonging, and shared joy: turning even the coldest night into a moment to remember.

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If you’ve scrolled through food TikTok lately, chances are you’ve stopped mid-swipe at a bowl of yogurt stretching like melted cheese. This mesmerizing sensation, known as stretchy yogurt, has become the latest internet fixation for food lovers and texture chasers. The hashtag #stretchyyogurt now appears across the wider #yogurt category, which has racked up 6.7 billion views and counting. It equally works as comfort food and sensory show. Read on to see why everyone’s pulling for this unexpected star!

From China to TikTok fame

The craze began in China, where dessert shops served thick, elastic yogurt made with starch and mastic: ingredients that give it that signature “cheese-pull.” From there, it spread through Jakarta, Singapore, and Toronto, finally landing in New York City, where cafés like Mamie’s rebranded it for the TikTok generation. 

Creators quickly turned the stretch into spectacle. Some tug it between spoons. Others swirl it with boba, fruit, or honey, triggering millions of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responsereplays). The shift reflects a bigger shift identified by Woke Waves: Gen Z’s obsession with texture-forward foods—chewy, sticky, and tactile. It relates less to flavor, and rather addresses the feel!

Food analysts agree. Taste-wise data shows social conversations around yogurt up 8.3 percent year-over-year, with consumers searching for playful, DIY, and multisensory experiences. What comes next? Stretchy yogurt brands may soon join mochi, dalgona, and bubble tea as part of the “interactive eating” economy.

Make it at home (and film it, of course)

Want to try it yourself? You can create the at-home version surprisingly simple: just three ingredients and a bit of patience.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup plain Greek or strained yogurt
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• ¼ teaspoon mastic powder (optional, for elasticity)

How to make it:

1. Whisk yogurt and starch together in a nonstick pan.
2. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.
3. When it starts to stretch between the spoon and pan, remove from heat.
4. Let it cool slightly before pulling—it should form glossy ribbons.

For a vegan version, swap dairy yogurt for coconut or soy-based varieties, as suggested by VegNews.

Why it’s sticking around

Beyond the visuals, stretchy yogurt taps into a more profound nostalgia for chewy comfort foods: textures that feel both familiar and novel. TrendHunter notes that cafés worldwide are experimenting with stretchy yogurt bowls, layering toppings like mochi, jam, and granola for extra pull.

Cultural food blogs, including Curd Is the Word, tap into the appeal of ASMR: the same instinct that made honeycomb crunch and dalgona candy go viral. And with big accounts continuing to post spoon-pull videos by the minute, the stretch shows no sign of snapping.

From street stalls in Shanghai to TikTok kitchens everywhere, stretchy yogurt proves that food goes beyond flavor: it brings a certain feel as well. In a world craving small joys and sensory escapes, that silky pull might just offer the next big comfort cue worth chasing!

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Food memories hold surprising power. According to GWI, a global audience research firm that studies consumer behavior in more than 50 markets, Gen Z appears as the most nostalgic generation. Fifteen percent say they prefer thinking about the past rather than the present. Millennials follow closely behind. For those born between 1997 and 2012, early food memories date back only a decade. Their “throwbacks” feel recent, instead of retro. And unlike older generations, Gen Z revives nostalgia through social media, personalization, and creative self-expression. “Newstalgia” or nostalgic treats with a modern spin, are emerging as a key dessert and snack trend for the year. In 2025, sweet nostalgia gets driven by neo-nostalgia—a shift reinventing classic desserts and retro flavors with modern, premium, and health-minded twists. Curious why we crave comfort and connection to simpler times? Keep reading to find out.

Old favorites, new flavors

Some say this trend began in Australia, specifically at the Patissez Cafe and Bakehaus, with their monstrous, nostalgic and at the same time new Freakshakes ( $25 USD). These over-the-top flavor mashups feature sweet-and-savory combinations like Nutella & Salted Pretzel and a Jam Donut version. Elevated baked goods are redefining comfort classics. Toaster pastries are getting upgrades with heirloom grains and artisanal jams. Donuts are getting reimagined to match modern tastes. Speculoos, the spiced Biscoff spread from Belgium and the Netherlands, is making a comeback in frostings and pastry fillings. Latin American desserts like tres leches, along with churro- and coffee-inspired sweets, are gaining mainstream appeal as people connect over familiar flavors.

Visually appealing & socially shareable

As dessert culture becomes increasingly visual and shareable, flavor nostalgia is finding new expression online. They last far beyond summer, S’mores variations —a classic campfire treat —have been offering inspirational flavor profiles that evoke happy memories. The taste of s’mores evokes cozy campfire nights—blankets, stars, and time spent with loved ones. You can also find this flavor in Poptarts, premade pancake mix, protein bars, and mini versions of the treat in snack and candy aisles. In April of this year, Dairy Queen announced they were bringing back their S’mores-flavored Blizzard.

Social media trends and viral food moments on platforms like TikTok are driving consumer interest in nostalgic and unique flavor profiles. Symrise research shows pistachio emerging as a major flavor trend. Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate combines creamy chocolate, crispy kunafa, and pistachio filling, gaining strong traction across social media. Brands from the Middle East, such as FIX Dessert Chocolatier, are noted for perfecting this indulgent creation!

Textural reinvention and “better-for-you” approach

Symrise tracks how throwback flavors drive innovation and deepen consumer engagement. Gen Z has been taking “newstalgia” to new heights, inspiring previous generations and communal gatherings—just in time for the holiday season!

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