Sweet & Savory dishes... love it or hate it?
There is one thing that I don't like about certain dishes that I cannot stand... sweet & savory flavors mixed together. For example, sweet & sour pork, sweet bbq sauce, honey mustard sauce, pineapple & ham on pizza, etc. I hope you guys understand what I'm talking about!
I have no idea why but it's an absolute turn off for me when I see dishes like this on any menu. My boyfriend thinks I'm absolutely crazy (especially not liking bbq sauce). Do you guys love or hate dishes like this?
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16 Comments:
I think the problem comes when the sweet and savory are out of balance...most restaurants err on the side of too sweet when combining the two. Perhaps that is what has turned you off to the combo?
A little spark of sweetness is usually enough to provide some interesting flavor play in the mouth. I've got a recipe for tropical rice pilaf that I think does just that. I'd be interested to know if you found this to be off-putting as well -- if that's the case, then there might not be hope for you :-)
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 8:05PM on 09/02/07
I looove the combination of sweet and sour flavors when done properly. Dominic, you have a point - they must be in balance to taste good.
Just a touch of honey on smoked meat, some apples sauteed with sausage, or even the ubiquitous proscuitto and melon are wonderful.
butterface at 10:56PM on 09/02/07
Strangely, I cannot abide sweetness on its own, it HAS to be with something savoury. Hence, I hate all desserts (except fruit) but love the combination of sweet and savoury. Pinapple on pizza is rad- I think it takes the edge off the saltiness- but thats just my weirdo tastebuds :)
choc_puddin at 6:08AM on 09/03/07
I too abhor the combination (mostly; there actually are a few exceptions, but the balance has to be just right)
I hate:
[sweet] potato salad
sweet baked beans
sweet barbecue sauce
sweet pickle relish in/on anything
Miracle whip (ugh)
and a bunch more I can't think of off the top of my head...
Lilla at 12:57PM on 09/03/07
Love sweet and savory, and sweet and salty even more. A New Zealand friend sent me chocolate with sea salt--amazing!
Barbara Hanson at 3:33PM on 09/03/07
I've never had pineapple on pizza, but the thought of it makes me recoil in horror. The other day, actually, I was walking past a grotty tourist cafe here in Amsterdam and noticed, in a glass case, a congealing sandwich that featured two rings of salami topped with two rings of pineapple topped with melted Dutch cheese (oude kaas). Ugh.
On the other hand, I do like sweet and savoury together, particularly when it involves dried fruit. I make lovely stuffed aubergines with currants and pine nuts, and also a delicious stew with chickpeas and dried apricots. I also love very sweet Scandinavian style gherkins with hard cheeses and smoked fish, and sweet mustard as well. The key, for me, is that the overall impression of the dish needs to be savoury, with the sweet elements adding depth and interest.
caley at 4:58AM on 09/04/07
i'm not a fan of sweet and savory - definitely do not want any fruit products in my savory dishes unless it's the occassional handful of dried cranberries in a salad.
but like caley above if the addition of sweet adds depth to the overall flavor of the dish or helps to balance out acidity then i'm all for it.
ceforrester at 10:22AM on 09/04/07
Love them... but it is a personal thing. Was dying for an Hawaiian pizza a few months ago. Really hard to find a good one where I live.
But, as with most (if not all) taste... it is in the, uh, mouth of the eater.
jpolk at 10:32AM on 09/04/07
Peanut butter and jelly isn't a childhood staple by coincidence...
sawyerriley at 1:22PM on 09/04/07
I think I share a lot of your aversion to sweet and sour or sweet and savory combinations of flavors.
I can stand it occasionally, but given the choice, I will opt not to eat savory foods that have the noticeable addition of some sweet ingredient to it.
I will eat pineapple on pizza, interestingly enough.
I think I just don't like those cloying, sticky over-sweet, over-tart flavors (think Chinese take-out...nasty). They attack rather than appease the tastebuds!
Oddly enough, I like sweet foods with the addition of a little savory note like chocolate with sea salt or salted butter caramel, but not the other way around.
fuuchan at 1:40PM on 09/04/07
please keep fruit away from my meat.
carriebwc at 1:43PM on 09/04/07
Love: My mom's stuffed cabbage and her cabbage soup, which both include a few ginger snap cookies and sour salts in the broth.
Detest: Raspberry vinagrette salad dressing
kqrbob at 4:08PM on 09/04/07
Dominic - Thank you for the link to your recipe. And I do agree with you that it's probably because most restaurants err on the side making dishes too sweet. Growing up in a home where my family usually eats plain white rice... I don't think I can mix fruit with rice. I think that would be too extreme for me to handle. haha =)
Sawyerriley - Call me a weirdo... but I find PB&J kinda gross! Even though a ton of people love the combo, I can't bring myself to eat it.
Some people eat cream cheese & jelly on a bagel...ugh. I don't where these combos come from!
Carriebwc - I feel the same way you do! Keeps those things separated!
Thank you everyone for your input! Hopefully my boyfriend won't think I'm so nutty for knowing that other people feel the same way I do. =)
breukelencook at 4:20PM on 09/04/07
I agree that it's all in the balance. Almost all Asian food includes some sweet element with the savory, and I love that, but most barbecue tastes to me as though somebody bought a nice piece of meat and dipped it in jelly -- horrible. To my taste, the worst is that awful dry ham with pineapple glaze.
The other combo I can't stand is chocolate with any kind of cheese -- chocolate cheesecake makes my teeth go furry, ditto creamcheese brownies.
maggiesara at 7:31PM on 09/04/07
Love it! A great excuse to eat sweet during the main course.
savvy savorer at 10:37AM on 09/05/07
I, too, think that balance is the most important aspects of mixing savory and sweet. I like some meals like that, but not all. The important thing is keep NUTS out of my entrees, please.
thebrokedown at 10:53PM on 09/11/07