While American cereal news grinds to a temporary halt before the barnyard bonanza that will be National Cereal Day (March 7th), the bird-minded brains behind Froot Loops and Corn Flakes are evolving that latter rooster-fronted classic for an international audience.
Announced as a collaboration with celebrity chef Ranveer Brar, Kellogg’s three new India-exclusive Corn Flakes varieties will be Thandai Badam, Kesar Pista Badam and Rose Badam. While this may not mean much to my fellow stateside cereal lovers, understanding these unique flavors can go a long way toward informing cereal makers all over the world.
While I was familiar with none of the above taste profiles, they are apparently “enriched with the goodness of real almonds, Kesar, rose, saffron and pistachio.” According to Chef Brar, “This new range of cornflakes is attributed to the local flavours of India in particular that create a sense of nostalgia every time we come across them. It could be the mom who added Roohafza to your milk or the local halwai you went with your grandparents to enjoy a glass of warm kesar badam milk.”
The point here is not (just) that America needs a good pistachio cereal with freeze-dried ice cream bits, but that perhaps American cereal aisles need to rethink their seemingly binary approach to either extremely safe flavors or extremely wacky flavors. Because while chicken & waffles may be nostalgic for some, personally I’d rather see ideas that merely gaze into an uncanny savory–sweet valley instead of diving in snout-first.
What might that look like? They could adopt the Oreo school of thought and try Mississippi Mud Pie Cereal, plumb my Midwest heritage with Superman Ice Cream Cereal, or [Hi, big cereal company! Hire me as your dedicated flavorologist to unlock the full list!].
I’m sure that kind of gated content won’t win me any auspicious emails, but if you do have the means to try any of these cereals, feel free to let me know how they are on our Submissions page! Thanks to reader Nik for the tip on these rose-gold maize shards.