By CANDICE CHOI
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — Chipotle Cheddar. Dulce de leche Oreos. Lime-flavored beer.

So much for the days when Hispanic food amounted to dusty taco kits in the grocer’s specialty aisle. Having long ago discovered the nation’s enormous appetite for Latin cuisine, food manufacturers are infusing a growing number of American staples with Hispanic flavors.

That’s because companies have found that Latin-inspired foods not only resonate with Hispanics — at 14 percent of the population now the nation’s largest minority — but also make a splash with mainstream consumers ever on the prowl for new and exciting flavors.

“Latin flavors are hot, and they’re hot across all market segments,” says Bill Briwa, an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America who notes that the rise of Hispanic flavors has been sudden and fast. A decade ago, chipotle was virtually unknown in the mainstream.

Now today, companies like Sargento Foods are launching chipotle-seasoned Cheddar. Three varieties of it. Kraft, whose iconic Oreo cookies already come in dulce de leche (a caramel-like flavor popular in South America), is rolling out Fresa (strawberry). Wrigley’s Orbit chewing gum now comes in a “mint mojito” flavor.

“Hispanic cuisine has really taken off and become part of Americana,” says Chris Groom, spokesman for Plymouth, Wis.-based Sargento.

“One of the goals behind (chipotle cheddar) was to create something that appealed not just to the Hispanic market, but resonated with the mainstream,” says Groom. And the company’s market research indicated Hispanic flavors excel at that.

Sargento found that the number of chipotle-flavored menu items at national restaurant chains had tripled to 2,800 between 2004 and 2005.

It’s all part of a trajectory similar to that of organic foods, says Walter Heller, a grocery industry consultant and former research director of Progressive Grocer magazine. Both have moved from the specialty aisles to being woven throughout the supermarket.

The challenge for Hispanic flavors, says Briwa, has been to shake off the low-budget image Mexican food acquired many years ago. Which is why he says the use of Latin flavors, more than entire dishes or menus, is soaring.

Such influence on cuisine is to be expected when a nation experiences ethnic shifts. Great Britain has seen a similar mainstreaming of Indian flavors, and baked potatoes with curry have become everyday fare.

And as Hispanic flavors enter the market, Americans across ethnic lines have adapted them to make them their own. Tortillas, for example, come in spinach and sun-dried tomato — varieties a cook from South America might not recognize.

“Few things make it into the mainstream intact,” says Susan Mitchell, senior research analyst at market research company Mintel International.

The trend has surprised some companies. Cleveland-based Pierre’s Ice Cream didn’t expect its pineapple, coconut and margarita flavors to be as popular among mainstream shoppers as with Hispanic consumers.

So now the company is launching its “Hola Fruta” sherberts nationally in flavors such as margarita and pina colada, and expects the products to reach across ethnic lines, says company spokeswoman Laura Hindulak.

“We feel consumers’ tastes have become a bit more adventurous,” she said.

Whereas tacos and fajitas may have been exotic a few decades ago, Americans now want lesser known dishes and flavors — such as mole sauce, which incorporates chocolate and a variety of spices, says Michael Sansolo, spokesman for the Food Marketing Institute.

“There’s no tipping point. It’s a constant evolution of how we eat, what the supermarket is going to look like,” Sansolo said.

For some companies, early success is prompting new products. In late 2005, Leading meat processor Tyson Foods Inc. introduced rebanado delgado, or thin-sliced beef intended for Hispanic dishes such as fajitas and enchiladas, as well as Asian stir-fries and Philly cheesesteaks. At the time, the company noted that demand for Latin-influenced foods in restaurants was growing more than 10 percent a year.

Though the company did not disclose sales figures, Tyson said rebanado delgado sales have grown steadily enough that the company now is developing new meat products with Latin flavors and ingredients, including chipotle, cumin, cilantro, lime, blacks beans and oregano.

The new brand is a continuation of the company’s strategy of tapping South American culture. In January, Miller began importing Colombia’s leading lager, Aguila. It also is bringing in two beers from Peru with distribution focused on communities with large South American populations.

“Manufacturers always have their ears open to anything new, because America is addicted to things that are new and different. If something comes along and it takes hold, it’s an opportunity to expand your product line,” says Heller.

Not even sushi is immune. At the Tsunami Sushi bar in Tulsa, Okla., the Texas roll — which in addition to crab and tuna also sports chipotle cream cheese, jalapeno peppers and ancho aioli — is one of several offerings with Hispanic flavors.