From Italian squid to Hungarian foie gras, and not forgetting vegetarian tuna, an endless array of tastes and scents line the 270,000 square metres of SIAL's (International Salon of Food) Parisian exhibition centre.

"The fair was created by France's Agriculture Minister in the 1960s, when the country was going through a big transformation in agriculture. There was an increase in yields, so the industry expanded and decided to sell its surpluses to companies from abroad," Nicolas Trentesaux, SIAL director, tells Euronews Culture.

Today, the trade exhibition is not only a key date in the world of food import-exports, but also a showcase of some of the industry's most creative innovations. Although France was long viewed as the world leader in all things gourmet, at fairs like this, it is clear that the balance has shifted.

For instance, if you are lucky enough to be served a dollop of caviar in one of the French capital's finest restaurants, you may not know that the sturgeon eggs you are eating probably come from a Chinese lake. Although the fine product once came from Europe and the United States, China is now the world’s biggest producer, ahead of Italy and France.

"The European market is very important for us, it represents 40% of our sales," explains Han Lei, Vice-President of Kaluga Queen. As China's number one brand, it supplied 21 of 23 Parisian Michelin starred restaurants with their caviar in 2017.

Although for many eating caviar is not an everyday choice, most people know what the product looks like. However, when SIAL was created 60 years ago, many of the products available now would have been utterly unimaginable to the fair's founders. This is the case for the French vegetarian fish brand 'OLALA Foods!', which produces vegetarian salmon and tuna.

With the boom of alternative fish and meat products, there also comes the flood of alternative alcohols. Standing out in this competitive industry is no mean feat, but 'Goxoa', a beer brand created especially for athletes, may have managed just that.

Japanese street food may be a hit with European diners, but it is Japanese fine dining which has taken the culinary world by storm. "We are very pleased to see that the quality of Japanese restaurants across Europe is improving," says Norihiko Ishiguro, the Chairman and CEO of Japan's External Trade Organization.

With the immense popularity of Asian restaurants and fusion food, European buyers are also on the hunt for the next hit hot sauces and sensation-sparking drinks. "I am here to scout out new items which aren't yet on French shelves, I am interested in new Japanese saké for instance," Aymeric Lazar, head of wine for luxury Parisian grocery shop L'Epic says, before taking a swig of the drink.

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