TREND BITES:

African

The Next Global Flavor Opportunity

September 16, 2026
Sara Brewer

This month's Trend Bite is for operators who want to stay on the cutting edge of consumers' interest in global cuisines. If you serve adventurous eaters who are always seeking something new, a few popular ingredients from African cuisines would be the perfect addition to your menu. Chefs across foodservice are starting to dive into culinary traditions from Africa and the bold flavors that come with them. And through the use of fusion dishes, African-inspired options fit into any menu.

The Next Wave of Global Cuisines

For consumers looking for new globally-inspired flavors to try, classics like Chinese and Italian don't quite cut it anymore. Datassential's "Global, Redefined" report released this summer shows that Americans across all ages and demographics consider Mexican, Italian, and Chinese to be mainstream foods in the US.

Almost as common are Indian and Korean cuisines, which are considered mainstream by most Millennials and Gen Z, but only around a third of Boomers.

Behind those are what Datassential calls the "next wave," which are cuisines from West Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia that are still hard to find on US menus. Operators who start serving these next wave cuisines now can bet on being ahead of the next big thing. Datassential's 2025 "Global Flavors" report showed that 65% of consumers are interested in African cuisines, so if you offer some African-inspired dishes, your guests are ready to try them!

Getting Started with African Cuisines

With 54 countries and hundreds of culinary traditions dating back thousands of years, Africa certainly has a lot of flavors, ingredients, and dishes you could feature on your menu. As a starting point, we picked a few dishes from across Africa that are just beginning to gain traction on menus here in the US.

Peri Peri Chicken Bao

Jollof Burrito Bowl

Harissa Chicken Burger

From the North: Tunisian Food

As the northernmost country in Africa, Tunisia borders the Mediterranean Sea. Its cuisine shares some ingredients and traditions with other Mediterranean countries, like the use of olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood. A staple in Tunisian cuisine is harissa, a spicy, smoky chili pepper paste with a deep and complex heat that's often used in sauces and gravies.

On US menus, chefs have been using harissa in dressings for salads and protein bowls or in condiments on sandwiches. We used it as a paste on this Harissa Chicken Burger recipe.

From the West: Senegalese Cuisine

On the Atlantic coast, modern-day Senegal used to be part of the Jolof Empire, which was where jollof rice was first created. The long-grain rice with tomatoes, chilies, and spices has been a staple throughout Western Africa for centuries. In Senegal, jollof rice is often cooked in a one-pot dish with fish, tomatoes, and other local produce.

Datassential's Menu Trends reports that jollof rice has appeared on 400% more menus over the past four years, perhaps because it's packed with flavor and easy to include in popular dishes like burritos and bowls.

From the South: A Taste of Mozambique and Angola

Mozambique and Angola are both near the southern tip of Africa, with Mozambique on the Eastern coast and Angola on the West. Cuisines of both countries include a combination of fish, native fruits and vegetables, and ingredients introduced by Portuguese and Indian Ocean trade. Portuguese traders first visited Southern Africa over 500 years ago, and since then, foods like corn, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and peppers have become fully intertwined into the local agriculture and culinary traditions.

The most notable influence of Portuguese trade on Mozambique and Angola's cuisine today is peri peri, a bright and tangy pepper sauce. Portuguese traders introduced chili peppers to Southern Africa centuries ago. Over time, these peppers became the foundation of peri peri sauce, a spicy condiment now synonymous with Mozambican and Angolan cuisines and gaining popularity around the world. Here in the US, Datassential predicts peri peri to be added to 54.2% more menus over the next four years.

But do African-inspired dishes fit on your menu?

Short answer: yes. Consumers all across America, from urban areas to small towns and from fine dining to snack kiosks, have proven that they want and even expect a variety of global flavors everywhere they get their food. While you might not be serving a traditional peri peri chicken dish by marinating a whole chicken with bird's eye chilies and slow-cooking it over hot coals, you can absolutely combine a premade peri peri seasoning with mayo, garlic, and lemon juice to make an aioli for a touch of global flavor anywhere on your menu.

In fact, most consumers are on board for fusion cuisine. Datassential's "Global, Redefined" report shares that, as of summer 2026, three-quarters of consumers like it when American-style restaurants fuse global flavors into their meals. Two-thirds of Americans even see this fusion as "the natural evolution of food in America, not a dilution of tradition."

So go get creative with fusion dishes! Check out our other global flavor Trend Bites for more ideas: Indian, Vietnamese, Greek, Thai, Italian, and Korean.