Initial considerations introducing Freekeh to the Danish market

Summary

Freekeh – a Middle Eastern grain product - has the potential to be highly valuable in meeting the demand for local grain products and promoting greater food diversity in the Danish market. The consumption of a diverse range of foods is closely linked to increased biodiversity in production, aligning with the FAO's recommendation to consume more sustainably produced food from systems with high agrobiodiversity. The aim of this thesis is to explore the acceptance of Freekeh by first movers on the Danish market. Projective Mapping, Design Thinking and Lead User (LU) techniques were used in a combination to explore the gastronomic context of Freekeh. The LU technique was introduced through a workshop, where chefs explored Freekeh in a gastronomic context. The chefs found that the aroma compounds of Freekeh, especially Smoke and Umami, meant that Freekeh had great gastronomical potential. Five different servings for a menu were selected based on the LU workshop and served in a restaurant study.A restaurant study with N=59 participants over three dinner sessions were conducted. All participants were screened and identified as neophilics. The hedonic responses of the Freekeh dishes were all above neutral. This could be partly due to the restaurant setting. The first gastronomic context tested, Focaccia made with Freekeh flour, was the most liked context with a mean rating of 8,8 on a 9-point hedonic scale. It was the most familiar dish and the dish most appropriate served in a restaurant. It was found to be more salty, soft, springy, and as having a high umami. The third gastronomic context tested, a Gazpacho, was the least liked. It was considered more ‘vegetable’, grassy and grainy than the other dishes. Freekeh has potential as a new food on the Danish market. From the observations made it should however be introduced in a familiar context, such as a variant of bread. In the future, Freekeh might be served in a more raw form, such as boiled in a warm salad or part of a main dish, when Freekeh as an ingredient has become more familiar to the Danish palate.