Pantry wave
Southeast Asian Pantry Wave: Pho, Laksa, Pandan, Fish Sauce
Datassential and menu trackers keep flagging Thai, Filipino, and Vietnamese growth. The pantry underneath is fish sauce, coconut, herbs, citrus, and noodle soups with long regional histories.
Noodles and sandwiches
Pho debates, laksa, bánh mì.
Aromatics and sauces
Fish sauce, pandan, calamansi, Thai basil.
Garum
The fermented fish sauce that flavored Rome and moved through Mediterranean trade
Roman Mediterranean8 min read
Pandan
The fragrant screwpine leaf behind pandan cake, coconut rice, and Southeast Asian sweets — and a 2026 visual-flavor wave often compared to vanilla
Southeast Asia (Malesian region)11 min read
Lime
The sharp citrus that sailed with empires and brightened global cuisine
Southeast Asia and South Asia7 min read
Basil
The fascinating history of basil
Worldwide6 min read






