International snack aisles and fast food menus have for years offered glimpses of just how much farther brands can take beloved products — from the McPaneer and McAloo Tikki in McDonalds' India (MCD) to the blueberry-flavored Lay's potato chips in China.
Differences in global palates and taste preferences have traditionally made bringing unusual products to the United States challenging — outside of short promotional campaigns like PepsiCo (PEP)'s Pepsi-flavored pepperoni, it is not cost-effective for companies to spend resources developing and creating products that stray too far from common taste preferences.
(Although, occasionally people going "ew, gross" can end up doing a brand's publicity for them such as when the cilantro sundae from McDonald's China went viral in the US.)
But with the world getting more globalized, demand for more international flavors is also rising — the most recent U.S. Trend Index, done annually by PepsiCo's Frito-Lay, found that more and more customers look for chips with "exotic" flavors every year.
What's So 'Tangy' About It?
Tamarind is a fruit commonly used in both Southeast Asian and Latin cuisines — its sweet-to-sour ratio changes depending on how ripe the fruit is. While tamarind is not difficult to find in any large urban center (tamarind-flavored aguas frescas at a Mexican restaurant can serve as a good introduction for those who have never tried it), the nutty flavor is less common across North America due to its strong taste.
As brands expand their offerings, one major snack producer has set its sights on tamarind: PepsiCo's Frito-Lay brand launched a new Doritos flavor called "Tangy Tamarind."
Frito-Lay
While this is the first tamarind product launched by a major North American snack brand, Tangy Tamarind's limited-edition run likely means that the brand is testing how well such a product will go over with the North American customer before committing to a permanent flavor.
It is part of its "Tangy" Doritos line with flavors like "Tangy Ranch" and "Tangy Pickle."
As reported by food site Chewboom, the products can already be bought at some retailers but will be more commonly distributed by August 2022.
What's Going On In The World Of Crunchy Snacks?
In recent years, Frito-Lay has become more adventurous with the Doritos brand and chip flavors in general — along with classics like Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch, the brand now has Doritos Flamin' Hot Cool Ranch, Doritos 3D Crunch in Spicy Ranch and Doritos Dinamita Chile Limón Rolled Tortilla Chips.
Another Frito-Lay brand, Cheetos now comes in the form of mac-and-cheese and popcorn.
Doritos flavors have also been expanding beyond the world of snacks and toward more fast food menus. Buffalo Wild Wings BWLD had two wing sauces inspired by the chip flavors as part of a partnership with Frito-Lay.
These types of limited-edition runs are most often a way for larger brands to test new ideas without committing too much time or money to a full-on rollout — those that stick will enter the permanent snack roster while those that don't will be relegated to "remember those weird chip flavors from the past" round-ups.
