Sorrel is getting major attention from US retailer Whole Foods Market, which listed the Hibiscus flower that birthed the popular Christmastime drink as one of the top 10 food trend predictions for 2022.

Whole Foods, in its October 2021 organic food review, said with the flower gaining popularity across North America, unique applications of sorrel are popping up in the creation of new fruit spreads, yoghurt and an even greater variety of beverage offerings.

“Hibiscus has a long and delicious history in the world of teas, and customers have historically kept it in their rotations for its vitamin C content. Now, producers are harnessing its sweet, tart flavour in the form of fruit spreads, yoghurts and beyond,” Whole Foods said.

“Of course, beverage makers are keeping up, leaning on hibiscus to craft delicious drinks that adopt its signature hot-pink hue,” the organic franchise added.

The list, created by Whole Foods’ Trend Council, also included ‘ultraurban farming’; Yuzu, a lesser-known citrus mainly cultivated in Japan, Korea and China; ‘reducetarianism’; so-called ‘mocktails’, drinks with the taste and sophistication of cocktails without the alcoholic buzz; grocery grains that refocus on the environment such as Kernza; sunflower seeds; moringa as an alternative to matcha; ‘functional fizz’, which is soda with probiotics or fizzy tonics packed with added prebiotics, botanicals and more; and tumeric.

Hibiscus sabdariffa, as sorrel is known botanically, also got love from Forbes Magazine, which featured unique ways to utilise the flower. From hot and cold beverages, desserts, sweet treats to even savoury dishes with meat, the versatility of sorrel is finally being acknowledged the world over.

“Hibiscus sabdariffa, otherwise known as agua de Jamaica, Florida cranberry, Roselle, or Sorrel, as it is called in the Caribbean, dates back to 4000 BC in Sudan,” Forbes‘ December 31, 2021 article detailed.

“The calyx of the hibiscus plant and the key ingredient used in food and drinks is high in vitamin C and other antioxidants such as anthocyanins. Other parts of the plant that can be used include the seeds, leaves, fruits and roots,” Forbes added.

Singled out by Forbes was Allison Dunn’s Jamaican sorrel-infused cafe, Hibiscus Brew, based in Brooklyn, New York.

“Its locally-brewed sorrel, ginger and agave-flavoured beverage— Hibiscus Brew—has put the cafe on the map. Hibiscus Brew also offers healthy sorrel-based smoothies and vegan soft serve sorrel ice-creams,” the publication gushed.

African hibiscus infusions Nigerian zobo and Egyptian Karkadeh were also hyped to gain mainstream popularity.

Sorrel, a mainstay in Caribbean holiday dishes, is extremely popular in Mexican flavoured water and the antioxidant-rich flowers are cherished in sections of West and North Africa.