Tulkoff’s Kimchi Aioli Featured in Food Business News

CHICAGO — Long before refrigeration, fermentation was used as a means to extend the shelf life of perishable foods. Nomadic tribes would fill sheepskin backpacks with milk and microbial-loaded grains, which fermented the lactose into lactic acid, producing a satiating drinkable yogurt to nourish during their journeys. Roman chefs would dry, ferment and smoke premium meats to ensure availability to the emperor during the winter months. And Koreans relied on fermentation to preserve vegetables for consumption after the harvest.

Today, while fermentation still preserves foods, consumers enjoy fermented foods for other reasons, most notably for wellness benefits and flavor adventure. Chefs have learned that incorporating fermented ingredients into prepared foods adds an extra dimension to flavor, one not attainable by any other means. Fermented ingredients also carry a healthy halo, and health sells these days.

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With one of the biggest movements in the culinary world being a renewed interest in local, handcrafted foods, house-made fermented foods are a natural extension. Today’s diners and shoppers seek connections with their food along with flavor adventure. Fermented foods and food ingredients are one way to give a classic dish a unique twist.

Tulkoff Food Products Inc. in Baltimore, Md. makes it easy to add that twist. The company’s spicy kimchi aioli combines cabbage, cilantro, garlic and spices with thick, rich mayonnaise, providing a squeezable condiment that is mildly spiced and uniquely smoky, ending with sweet-heat notes. It is light orange in color with visible ingredients and has a high-cling rate, making it just as attractive as a poke bowl drizzle or as a sandwich spread.

“We reviewed multiple flavor trend reports when it came to introducing a new product and found that Korean flavors are in high demand by customers and driving favorable menu offerings,” said Phil Tulkoff, president. “Our spicy kimchi aioli allows operators to introduce a unique Korean flavor with the convenience of a mayonnaise-based product that can cross multiple menu items and day parts.”

It is more than a condiment. It may be used in recipes, too.

“To add an extra layer of flavor to breaded fish or chicken, dip the cleaned, raw protein into spicy kimchi aioli before coating it in panko bread crumbs and baking,” he said. “Add some aioli to the pot of steaming grits or rice. Blend it into a meatball or meatloaf mixture before cooking.”

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