Fruit Soups Sweeten U.S. Restaurant Menus.

Mintel Menu Insights Examines Emerging Fruit Soup Menu Trends

CHICAGO -- Fruits are warming soup offerings on fine dining menus. According to Mintel Menu Insights, a resource that tracks national restaurant trends, traditional vegetable soup flavors are feeling the heat from more experimental fruit combinations and flavor creations. Fruit was once reserved for chilled appetizers or refreshing dessert soups. Now, chefs are experimenting with them as main centerpieces for their hot soup creations.

"Chefs continue to be innovative in the fruits they use in dishes across the board," said Maria Caranfa, registered dietitian and director of Mintel Menu Insights. "They are now showing that fruits and soups can blend to create great taste offerings. We expect to see chefs push the creations in this category as consumers show that they are willing to try new and interesting flavors of soup. Vegetables no longer hold exclusive power within this realm."

According to a Mintel report, more than 91 percent of respondents claimed that some type of soup is served in their household. Due to the universal appeal of soup, chefs are continuing to introduce a variety of hot and cold fruit soup offerings. According to Mintel Menu Insights, the top fruit flavors used in soup include: apple, Sultana raisins, pomegranate, mandarin orange, winter melon, kafir lime, strawberry, and apricot.

In the hot soup category, chefs are taking advantage of seasonal and local ingredients. The Putney Inn (Putney, Vt.) serves Baked Five Apple Soup, featuring Grafton Village smoked cheddar with an apple fan. At the Abacus Restaurant (Dallas, Texas), they serve Warm Blackberry Passion Fruit Soup and Heirloom Apple Turnover, along with creme brulee ice cream. Upstream (Charlotte, N.C.) introduced Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup, complete with duck confit, toasted walnuts and spiced crema.

The cold fruit soup category also is booming in innovation. Fruit soups are seen as offering a clean way to start or end a meal. Clio (Boston, Mass.) presents Chilled Cucumber and Yogurt Soup, including gulf shrimp, radishes, caviar and oxalis. For more variety in the chilled category, Le Bec Fin (Philadelphia, Pa.) serves their Chilled Soup Trio, featuring cherry, papaya, and strawberry soups. Janos Restaurant (Tucson, Ariz.) has also served their signature San Xavier Co-Op Chilled Melon and Ginger Soup with Mango Sorbet and Mint Syrup, featuring chilled locally-harvested honeydew and cantaloupe, scented with sweet ginger and agave nectar with melting mango and mint syrup.

"Due to the versatility and popularity of many fruit flavors in other parts of restaurant menus, the emergence of fruit soup is a natural flavor extension," said Caranfa. "Fruits are showcased in salsa, dipping sauces, and main entrees. Fruits provide a new way to add a healthy, sweet dimension to menus."

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