Standards have changed.

Americans are still time-conscious and hungry, but another factor is quickly becoming equally if not more important—flavor. Consumers are looking for bolder, deeper flavors. They’re craving hot, but also sweet and savory. America’s food IQ is higher than ever, backed by the Food Network, magazines, and record cookbook sales. Educated consumers are looking for authentic ingredients and regional flavors. They no longer just want chili peppers; they want chipotle rubs and poblano salsas. Consumers, who once craved Mexican, now want Oaxacan or Yucatan flavors.

When food manufacturers were recently asked about future planning, respondents ranked “ethnic” as the single “hottest” food category over the next five years, according to Packaged Facts, a publishing division of MarketResearch.com. The market growth of ethnic foods will be 50 percent over the next decade, according to studies by market-research firm Promar International. Moreover, while ethnic consumers are a driving force, mainstream consumers are expected to purchase 75 percent of ethnic foods over the next decade.

Fast-casual restaurants are not only responding to this trend, many suggest they’ve had a key role in escalating it. Quick-service restaurants have been slower to respond, but many are adding ethnic flavors to their menus in a cautious but effective manner.

A combination of consumer and cultural factors are driving the trend toward ethnic dining. Most evident is the influx of ethnic populations, especially Hispanics and Asians.

Hispanics are the largest U.S. minority, making up 13 percent of the population according to the U.S. Census. By 2008, more than 16 percent of the population is expected to have Hispanic roots.

Hispanic flavors that are growing in popularity, according to Packaged Facts, include exotic fruits like mango, papaya, and tamarind; robust heat from chilies; flavorful sauces for grilled and barbecued meats; and sweet traditional tastes such as dulce de leche.

The Asian population, while relatively small at 4.3 percent according to the 2000 Census, is the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. By 2050, the Census Bureau projects that one in ten Americans will trace their heritage to Asian or Pacific roots. As that population grows, ingredients such as lemon grass, curry, galangal (Thai ginger), Shitake mushrooms, sweet red chili sauce, and yuzu and ponzu (citrus-flavored soy sauce) are becoming more popular. Southeast Asian flavors, in particular, are expected to be a high growth area, which should come as no surprise given that the U.S.’s Indian population is the fastest growing subset of Asians.

In addition to the multicultural influences, generational factors are helping further popularize ethnic flavors. Children and teenagers, who already name Chinese and Mexican among their favorite flavors, are growing up with an acceptance of international flavors and will further strengthen current trends, says UBF Foodsolutions Corporate Executive Chef Steve Jilleba.

“Generation Xers look at this as more of a one-world place. They ate Doritos as children and have been craving bolder, spicier flavors ever since. Baby boomers, on the other hand, are getting older and losing their taste buds and need more flavor,” says Jilleba. (Indeed, most studies indicate that taste buds begin to dull after age 45.)

Those in their 40s, 50s, and 60s—the wealthiest of consumers—show less interest in trying exotic dishes, but are willing to try ethnic flavors when they’re paired with familiar foods. This explains why many quick-service restaurants are tiptoeing into ethnic flavors—topping a chicken salad with chipotle ranch dressing, adding a sun-dried tomato pesto to a familiar sandwich, or inserting familiar ingredients into a flatbread wrap.

The more adventuresome among the quick-service chains might reject the notion that they are “tip-toeing” into this trend, but when compared to the pace ethnic trends  are making headway in the fast-casual sector, the description appears more than appropriate. “The introduction of ethnic flavor really would not have happened as quickly without quick-casual restaurants,” says Joe Pawlak, senior principal at Technomic.

“Specialty items like pico de gallo, guacamole, pinto beans, shitake mushrooms, and ginger are becoming more mainstream,” Pawlak says. “Fast-casual restaurants, especially those in the fresh Mexican and Asian categories, have made specialty ingredients something people can get everyday; quickly and at a reasonable price.”

It used to be an adventure to find a little hole in the wall ethnic restaurant, says UBF Foodsolutions’ national accounts executive chef Dan Burrows. “Now you can find these similar flavors at Noodles & Company, or get Thai peanut sauce on a pizza at Schlotzsky’s or a Mediterranean-style sandwich at Panera Bread.”

“A lot of interesting culinary concepts have been brought to the masses from the rise of quick-casual,” says Noodles & Company founder and CEO Aaron Kennedy. “Only the brave were willing to venture into a Korean or Vietnamese neighborhood restaurant. Quick-casual is bringing those flavors out of the neighborhoods and into mainstream.”

Kennedy says he developed his restaurant in 1995 because he saw a growing demand for higher quality, more interesting, yet convenient food. “But I’ve really seen palettes change over the last nine years. Back then, we were thinking that Thai food was pretty exotic. Now we have gone well into Indian food and Middle Eastern foods and are sampling obscure cuisines from northern African and Morocco.”

 Kennedy says Tuscan, or Northern Italian cooking, and Thai flavors are very popular right now. He predicts the next growth area will be Vietnamese cooking. He’s not alone.

J.R. Simplot Foods recently developed its Asian Inspirations recipe booklet to help foodservice providers answer the demand for Vietnamese, Thai, and Indian flavors. While the cookbook is geared toward fine dining, Simplot Corporate Chef Mark Hill sees the flavors trickling down into casual, fast-casual, and quick-service as well.

“People are looking for bolder flavors. They like Latin, Thai, Indian, and Vietnamese because of the strong flavors. Quick-service restaurant operators can take advantage of the flavor profiles and combine them with more mainstream menu items,” Hill says.

For example, the Simplot cookbook details a Thai Asparagus and Cucumber Salad, which has a touch of lime, fish sauce, and red chilies. The Vietnamese Cabbage and Chicken Salad combines crispy noodles with sugar snap peas, mint, apples, and a pungent dressing. Hill says fast-casual or quick-service operators could choose a few of the ingredients to give an Asian flair to an ordinary salad.

Simplot chefs also developed the “Flavors of the Latin Table” recipe compilation to give foodservice providers ideas about incorporating flavors from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic. “Latin food is the most popular right now,” Hill says. “The smoky-hot flavors of chipotle (smoked and dried jalapenos), along with the fresh chilies—the Anaheim, the poblano (also called ancho), the habanero…the pasillas (dried poblanos)—are in high demand.”

Among Simplot’s Latin recipes is Papas Escabechadas—warm cubed potatoes steeped in a tangy lime, chili, onion, and cilantro escabeche sauce served in a crisp lettuce wrap.

Hill emphasizes ethnic recipes don’t have to be authentic to be a hit with Americans. He encourages chefs to take a few ingredients from various ethnic dishes and experiment with them or combine them.

“The birthplace of the potato was Peru,” Hill says. “Americans love potatoes. You might think about how can I take the flavors of Thailand and add them to a potato. You don’t really see potatoes in Thailand, but you can rub them with turmeric and give them a Thai flavor. The best way to introduce these flavors is to take products familiar to the typical American palate and incorporate the flavors of the world.”

Asian and Hispanic flavors clearly are the leaders in ethnic innovation, but today’s savvy consumers are beginning to recognize that those are two broad umbrellas for numerous regional cooking styles such as Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Mediterranean, Greek, African, Spanish, Caribbean, and Latin American.

“People used to just say they wanted Italian, or southwestern or Mexican,” says Arby’s Executive Chef Calvin Harris. “But now they’re more specific. It’s not just Italian, it’s Tuscan or Mediterranean. Instead of Mexican, they’re looking for Latin blends from Cuba, Peru, or Mexico.”

Consumer ability to recognize the regional roots of ethnic flavors is considered the most noticeable change in the collective food IQ. In fact, the market for ethnic food has grown to such an extent that Italian, Mexican, and Chinese cuisines have joined the mainstream. Identified as the best-known ethnic cuisines in a 1994 survey, these three cuisines have now become so integrated into American culture that they are no longer considered ethnic, says Packaged Facts editor Don Montuori. In addition to Vietnamese and Thai, current high-interest flavors include Indian, Moroccan, Spanish, and Caribbean.

The array of ingredients and ethnic flavors being introduced by media and celebrity chefs is complex and far-reaching, yet restaurants are finding simple ways to give diners a taste of the world.

As suggested by Simplot’s Mark Hill and others, sometimes just one interesting ingredient can makeover a menu item. Fast-casual and quick-service restaurant chains are experimenting in four main categories: spices, sauces, cheeses, and breads.

UBF Foodsolutions’ Dan Burrows suggests the very naming of a menu item, especially emphasizing the cooking method, can give it an ethnic feel. “People want to think we’re cooking this stuff back in the kitchen. Using glamour words like ‘slow-roasted’ or ‘slowly-brazed,’ ‘fire-roasted,’ ‘smokey,’ and ‘seared’ give consumers a different image of ordinary foods.”

UBF Foodsolutions sells a variety of Knorr ready-to-use sauces, which Burrows says can quickly turn an ordinary item into an ethnic innovation. Among the choices are Jamaican Jerk Sauce, Mango Habanero Sauce, and Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, which Burrows says, “provides the spiciness and romance of the chipotle that people are looking for.”

Arby’s is using simple, low-risk ingredient additions to provide ethnic flavors and textures. “Our baguette is a ciabatta-based formula that is definitely Italian,” Harris says. Introducing a bread that has just a two day—at best—shelf life was risky, he admits, but the customer response has been overwhelmingly positive. “I think the success of our French Dip sandwich was in large part due to the bread.”

Arby’s is now rolling out a new line of Market Fresh Salads that incorporate international flavors via new toppings. The Asian Sesame Salad is topped with Asian Sesame Dressing, which Harris says is teriyaki-based with ginger, garlic, sweet pineapple, and soy sauce. The Santa Fe Salad is topped with Simplot Foods’ fire-roasted corn and peppers.

In addition, Arby’s soon will introduce a smoked mozzarella. “It’s a twist on something that’s common,” Harris says of the new cheese. “When you put it on turkey or chicken, it elevates it to the next level. It tastes like something that came off a grill in another country.”

Schlotzsky’s is having success with its own Italian-style paninis.  “We have a variety of menu items that give our customers a chance to try new flavors,” says Joyce Cates, senior vice president of franchise operations. “We use eggplant, portobello mushrooms, feta and gorgonzola cheeses, fresh Genoa, prosciutto, and authentic Asian sauces that put our menu items into distinct ethnic categories like Mediterranean, Asian, Mexican, and Italian, or Tuscan.”

Almost every quick-service and fast-casual restaurant is getting in on the ethnic act in some way, rather than face the risk of being left behind. Small changes like McDonald’s test of flat bread as a new sandwich wrap, or Wendy’s offering Spicy Southwest Chipotle sauce with its chicken strips are getting big attention now. Standards have changed. Customers want bolder, more exciting flavors. But the greatest palette changes are likely still ahead.