KANSAS CITY — When it comes to flavors, the melting pot of America stirs in the streets. Food trucks are featuring the tastes of Asia, Africa and Latin America. In one trend, Korean and Mexican cuisines are merging, creating new dishes.

The global flavors may interest consumer packaged goods companies. Flavors traditionally found in food trucks and street foods are bringing new and interesting flavor profiles to the snacking aisle at retail, said Jennifer Zhou, global director product marketing, flavors for Chicago-based ADM.

“Think savory birria tacos or sweet and spicy shashlik kebabs,” she said. “These flavor profiles can elevate familiar grain-based snacks like crackers or popcorn, satisfying consumer calls for more adventurous eating experiences in recognizable formats.”

Ingredients like black vinegar, used in Chinese dishes such as Xian-style noodles or soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), and kanzuri, a Japanese fermented chili pasta, may enhance pasta dishes or grain bowls.

“From Korean tteokbokki to Italian tonnato sauce, there is an increasing desire to challenge traditional boundaries, bringing forth tastes that can be acculturated for US consumers and creating room for more transportive dishes and flavors,” Ms. Zhou said. “This is also driving consumers to seek out global and regional flavor profiles across food categories, including in bakery and snacks.”

A link to America may be needed to convince consumers to try new tastes.

“The key to the success of these foods is combining unconventional global flavors with familiar foods to create imaginative fusion dishes that are simultaneously comforting and adventurous,” said Doug Resh, director, commercial marketing for T. Hasegawa USA, Inc., Cerritos, Calif.

The most common path for global flavors into baked foods is dry seasonings that may be added to baked crackers, chips and other products for a rich flavor profile, he said.

“While consumers certainly feel safer trying new global flavors in traditional grain-based foods, compared to proteins or entrees, these flavors are a lot more approachable in smaller portion sizes,” Mr. Resh said. “The snack category is the best example since a lot of salty snacks like chips, crackers and pretzels are familiar but often bland, and consumers are eager for ways to experiment through bold flavors. It’s becoming increasingly common to see products like chips and crackers with bulgogi beef, sriracha, kimchi and other global flavors prominently featured.”

Elote is everywhere

A Mexican street corn called elote is venturing into retail stores.

“We’ve seen Mexican street food taking center stage, especially elote flavors popping up in savory snacks ranging from chips to nuts and featuring a powerful combination of chili powder, lime, mayo, Cotija cheese and cayenne pepper,” said David Banks, senior director of marketing for Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Northbrook, Ill.

Mexican elote, a grilled corn on the cob, may be slathered with a mayo cream sauce and sprinkled with chili powder and Cotija, said Holly Adrian, senior marketing manager for Sensient Natural Ingredients, Turlock, Calif. It is showing up in a variety of formats without the cob and may be served in formats such as a side salad, a tostada shell filling and pudding, she said.

“We recently took the authentic flavors of elote and created an application in a cornbread format,” Ms. Adrian said. “We incorporated fire-roasted jalapeños for a grilled note that also added a lingering kick of heat to the naturally sweet corn. That same combination can also be used in a breading or batter for elote fritters.”

Mexican street food flavors may complement traditional grain-based foods, Mr. Banks said.

“And, with younger millennial and Gen Z populations having more purchase power and willingness to try spicy, international and unique foods, these flavors could resonate well,” he said.

Sweeter caramelized flavors like dulce de leche, flan and brown butter are trending, too, Mr. Banks said.

“However, they’re revealing themselves with more adventurous twists and international spins such as miso caramel, bourbon brown sugar, ‘chocoflan,’ hot honey and spicy caramel, featuring trendy peppers, like Carolina reaper or ghost pepper,” he said.

The sweet dulce de leche notes in oblea, a dessert found in Spain and Latin America, work well in cereals and bars, Ms. Zhou said.

“We’re also seeing the earthy notes of matcha tea playing well with the familiar profiles of cinnamon sugar churro for unique fusion snacking experiences,” she said.

Korean combinations

More than Mexican flavors may be sampled on the street.

“We’ve also noticed a handful of street food vendors creating brick-and-mortar concepts, especially around Asian cuisine such as mochi donuts, boba tea and elevated Korean corn dogs,” said Benjamin Stanley, senior corporate chef and manager of sweet applications for Bell Flavors & Fragrances.

To get an sense of Korean corn dogs, imagine squid ink batter, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and red bean paste, he said.

Combining Mexican and Korean may create flavor pairings like kimchi tacos or bulgogi beef tacos, Mr. Resh said.

“For North Americans, the rich palate of flavors in Korean cuisine is the perfect complement to the familiarity of tacos, burritos and other favorite Mexican foods,” he said. “The combination of these flavors elevates the entire dish, giving a new modern take on very traditional foods.”

Among Asian flavors, ADM foresees condiments like shacha sauce (a Chinese mix of garlic, shallots, chilis and dried shrimp) emerging in grain-based snack clusters and savory bread, Ms. Zhou said.

“There is also growth potential for black sesame snack sticks and tahini-dusted pretzels as consumers seek explorative bites on-the-go,” she said.

Chinese dumplings, known as jiaozi, are staples of Chinese cuisine and may be found in food truck courts across the United States, said Jen Lyons, marketing manager for Sensient Flavors & Extracts, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

“These are delicious pockets of dough filled with a mixture of meat, vegetables and seasoning and then steamed, boiled or fried,” she said. “They deliver a blend of savory flavors in a bite.”

Takoyaki is a popular Japanese street food.

“These savory bite-size battered octopus balls are served with a special sauce of mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweed,” she said. “Together, they create a masterpiece of sweet, savory and umami flavors in every bite.”

The bahn mi sandwich originating from Vietnam consists of a French baguette base filled with savory meat, cilantro, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumber and a smear of pate, she added.

Crossing continents

Flavors from multiple continents are showing up in food trucks and perhaps soon in retail stores.

“Spanish and Portuguese flavors have recently been popping up in restaurants, as well as flavors from cuisines that are heavily influenced by their history, like Filipino cuisine,” Mr. Stanley said. “Think smoked paprika, olive oil, dried fruits, pork, burnt sugar and custard.”

Ms. Adrian said simit, popular in Turkey, is a cross between a hot pretzel and an everything bagel. It may come with savory toppings.

“Smoked onion and garlic with whole grains and seeds, fire-roasted tomato, red and green bell pepper and asiago for a Mediterranean profile or incorporating chilies and dried vegetables into the dough to create any number of globally inspired flavor profiles,” she said.

Ms. Lyons said doubles, a street food from Trinidad and Tobago, consist of two fluffy, slightly chewy flatbreads known as “bara,” filled with a spicy chickpea curry and served often with a tangy tamarind sauce. Bunny chow from South Africa is created by hollowing out a loaf of bread and filling it with a savory curry that may include chicken, lamb or beans. The comfort food features a blend of spices and rich flavors.