WARNING: I’m developing a perhaps-unnatural fascination with the old concept of ‘the sublime vs. the ridiculous’. Where do you draw the line? Especially when you’re tweaking recipes or playing around with creating your own? It’s not always easy to tell…
However… I think I can confi-dently say that the ‘new’ idea from Hormel (the guys who came up with the cult legend, SPAM) – is way over the line into ‘ridicu-lous’ territory…
No! Really!
It’s Dill Pickle Pepperoni. It’s a real product. And it’s on super-market shelves now.
The product is officially describ-ed as delivering, ‘all the flavor fans love in the brand’s beef and pork pepper-oni, but now with a tangy pickle twist’.
According to a snapshot ‘review’ at AllRecipes.com, “The ready-to-eat sausage comes in 5-ounce bags, and there are about 75 slices per bag. Like Hormel’s original pepperoni, it’s perfect for topping pizza, using in recipes, or snacking straight from the fridge.”
Where do they come from?
I often wonder how some of these way-out new products come about. Then I imagined myself sitting in, say, Hormel’s test kitchen, musing on where to go next i product development leveraging the new-stalgia trend, our own old, established products and, if possible a hot, edgy fad-of-the-moment…
“1 + 1 = 11 – on the innovation scale, at least!” I exalt, as the ‘eureka’ light bulb ignites above my head. And the latest crazy new Hormel product is born.
But now that you’ve got it, how do you use it? How do you convince potential buyers to try it? The hardest part of ‘developing’; a new project – particularly a bumptious, cheeky one like Pickle-Flavour Pepperoni – must be how to make it click with consumers.
Give it a little push…
“While pepperoni pizza is the obvious use, we can’t help but think of all the delicious ways in which you can enjoy this unique find,” suggests source story author Samantha Dillard. “Layer it up on your next Italian-style sub, or use it as a flavorful mix-in for grilled pepperoni burgers. Alternatively, you can chop it up and add it to your favorite pasta salad or garnish a pizza-inspired casserole,” she muses…
I heartily second her motion in support of her pepperoni burgers concept. Just one add-in to create a beautiful newish flavour concept that tastes like it has a 20-item ingredient list!
The notion of a ‘new’ pepperoni-inspired casserole dish is also a great jumping off point for a new and exciting suppertime aventure…
My take
The fundamental problem with he overarching idea pf Pickle Flavour Pepperoni is just this: What’s stopping you from simply adding some pickle juice to regular pepperoni and heading off ov the myriad application vectors Dillard envisions?
Feeding the convenience obsession of the younger generations- from Millennials through the Gen Zers – is one thing, but… What did we say at the outset of this post about drawing lines?
~ Maggie J.