CHICAGO, IL -- Where food is heading for 2006 could lead to more exotic ingredients, more product awareness and bigger flavors in smaller portions.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that “White tea will be red hot,” “Exotic fruits such as tamarind and lychee will become more familiar,” and the popularity of “small plates dining” will continue to grow. These predictions, according to the Center for Culinary Development, will help pave the way for food trends in 2006.

Likewise, more emphasis will be placed on informing consumers where their foods come from, including “down to the farm where it was harvested,” writes the newspaper--a practice largely conducted by the restaurant industry.

This information may also trickle down to store shelves, particularly with chocolate, which experts say is a “hot food item for the coming year.” For example, gourmet chocolatier E. Guittard offers single-origin bars made from cacao beans harvested from regions of Venezuela, Madagascar and Colombia.

“The point is that there's a certain cachet around the provenance of the beans that consumers are willing to spend more money on,” Jeff Cirese of the Center for Culinary Development told the newspaper.

According to Chef Lisa Wilson of the Aria restaurant in Chicago's Fairmont Hotel, consumers are becoming more educated about food and want to know more about what they are eating. She also predicts, along with food experts, that white tea will have a big impact during 2006.

The newspaper writes that white tea, rich with antioxidants, is being used as a cooking ingredient much like green tea has made its way into “baked goods, smoothies and sodas at chains like Starbucks and Jamba Juice.”

Experts also predict that small plates fare, such as Spanish Tapas, will take off during 2006 and include an emphasis on whole grains, antioxidants and other “healthful aspects of food,” as well as tropical fruits such as lychee, guava and tamarind.

The newspaper adds that the Center for Culinary Development “doesn't pluck such trends from thin air.” The firm bases its predictions on surveys conducted with chefs and keeps track of ingredients that frequently appear on menus and in publications.