A new report from Project Harvest, commissioned by Horticulture Innovation Australia, has shown an increase in the number of consumers trying new styles of cooking vegetables in past 12 months.
Vegetable industry body AUSVEG said the results reflected Australians’ increasing willingness to experiment with cooking styles that enhanced the natural attributes of vegetables, such as their texture, taste and colour.
“The fact that consumers are trying a range of different cooking styles, like stir-frying or steaming, in the kitchen shows a growing appreciation for techniques that can play off the natural qualities of fresh vegetables or accentuate particular aspects,” AUSVEG spokesperson Shaun Lindhe said.
“This is reinforced by the fact that nearly a quarter of consumers [surveyed] say they’re increasingly eating their vegetables raw – which we think is an incredible testimonial to the natural taste, texture and overall quality of Australian vegetables.
“Other cooking styles on the rise include roasting or grilling, which add extra flavour and texture elements that complement a vegetable’s nutritional qualities. For example, the most commonly grilled vegetable is capsicum, with consumers enhancing the sweetness of capsicum with the smokiness from grilling.”