What will you be eating in 2015?

Well, whatever it is, it’ll probably be pretty spicy.

In the 15th annual McCormick Flavor Forecast things look hot for 2015 — hot and tasty that is. The eight trends they list include the world domination of such far away spices as the Middle Eastern shawarma blend and the Japanese seven spice blend as well as liquid and smoked spices. They predict more spices in cookies and umami in vegetable dishes.

Foods are heating up all over the place it seems. Even Popeye’s has introduced ghost pepper spiked wings, although having eaten ghost pepper salsa, I doubt there’s really very much ghost pepper in a fast food dish. There would be too many lawsuits from the masses with burned tongues.

But for real iron stomached chile heads bhut jolokia — the ghost pepper — is sooo last year. Maybe even last decade. According to Crazy Hot Seeds, the ghost pepper is only ranked seventh on the Top 10 heat list with a Scoville Heat Unit of 1,041,427 while the No. 1 is the Carolina Reaper with an Scoville Heat Unit rating of 2,200,000.

Now that’s hot. Try putting that baby on the Whataburger menu.

Worldly Bedroom Delights

But it’s not just about the heat. Food in 2015 will be spiced with flavors from around the world, shrinking our global culinary world by blending regional dishes with worldly delights.

Snap Kitchen prides itself on dishes crafted with local, organic product, but even they are on the spice bandwagon.

“At Snap Kitchen we are proud to use numerous global spices and flavors such as annatto, cardamom, turmeric, sambal, etc., that are authenticated when cooking with oils and herbs which are indigenous to specific regions,” chef James Drake says.

More than just adding flavor, spices can also spice up your sex life. Numerous reports site the lovemaking benefits of Indian spices and hot peppers and a Nigerian friend claims that suya — a meat rub made of various spices, peanuts, onion and garlic — is a natural form of Viagra. I’ll take his word on that one.

I prefer the Egyptian spice blend called dukka, which adds flavor and not any libido benefits that I know of.

Long gone are the days of your mother where the spice cabinet contained bland little bottles of cinnamon, red pepper flakes and maybe, if she was really ambitious, a bottle of nutmeg. Not fresh but the ground kind. Nowadays any home cook worth his or her salt has salt — likely four or five different kinds — as well as fresh dried peppers and spices from around the world.

And one place to shop for these goodies is the new Vom Fass foodie store in Rice Village. Owner Brian Moorhead weighs in on trends for the New Year.

Spicy Stuff

“I am seeing a continued interest in smoked herbs and spices such as Vom Fass sweet paprika and Vom Fass spicy paprika,” he says. “Both have a wonderful smoky flavor that livens up any roasted vegetable dish and brings the BBQ inside. Along the same lines, our Hickory Smoked Danish Salt continues to sell very well.

“Mediterranean spice blends are also selling very well. In particular, Vom Fass Zahtar Blend. It is a wonder blend of thyme, oregano and basil that typically mixed with olive oil and brushed on a fresh pita. It is also fantastic in hummus and tabouli.”

Of course Houston has been on the spice train for a long time, what with the diverse population and the food shops and restaurants it has given rise to. We may have once been defined by our steak houses, Tex-Mex and barbecue, but today you can find authentic dishes from South Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

Houston's truly a global city when it comes to eating . . . and eating well.

Clean Start juices at Snap Kitchen.

  

Photo courtesy of Snap Kitchen

Clean Start juices at Snap Kitchen.