All those kinds of Easter eggs: ‘It’s actually a typical form of capitalism’ | Cooking & Eating

You see a lot of doubling at Christmas in supermarkets around Easter, says food trend watcher Anneke Ammerlaan. “The special bread now has an Easter appearance, the brunch rolls and savory cakes are a typical brunch thing, here and there you can also find a tied roulade.”

According to Ammerlaan, Easter is also a time when we eat asparagus and strawberries. “But it’s not much more extensive. We may have a more festive dinner in the evening, but we don’t go out for an extensive gourmet meal, especially not when the weather is nice.”

At Albert Heijn you will find products such as mini turbans (in striking colours), Easter bunny XL bread and a rainbow cake with layers in bright colors to decorate the table. You can also buy gazpachos in three different flavors and colors and a fresh package for a pre-cut vegetable quiche.

According to food trend watcher Gijsbregt Brouwer, we cannot ignore the large assortment of Easter eggs this year either. “There are more and more bizarre and special Easter egg flavors. Compare it to ice cream flavors: you used to have vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, but now you have a hundred when you walk in somewhere. So it is with the Easter eggs, you get tiramisu, stracciatella, caramel pecan. All the stores have different types of Easter egg flavors.”

“It is comparable to the pepernoten”, adds Ammerlaan. “People are working on them and they’re in the shops early, so you’re going to buy them. That also applies to the Easter eggs, because it is so long you also want something different. You can vary with all those flavors, because there is a long run-up period to Easter.”

“Brands and supermarkets are trying to find what consumers want to come into contact with. They try to broaden their range by offering something different and thereby keeping the consumer close to the brand. It’s actually a typical form of capitalism,” says Brouwer. “You can see from the consumer that there is a need for something new, so it is logical that this happens. People think it’s exciting and they want to take something new home and try it, so it fits right in with that. You also see that brands introduce a new flavor as a special, which is a trick to explore the market and see what it does well, and then keep it in the range.”

In a survey, Hema asked how many Easter eggs people eat on average during this period. According to the Dutch department store chain, there are 51, compared to 47 in 2016. 6 out of 10 Dutch people would like to try new flavours.