Salted chocolate and salted caramel are true classics, whether it's a bag of sweets from the shop or a confectioner's confection. But the salty and sweet pairing is a much bigger slice bite out of gastronomy, and not without reason. But why bite for this combination of humanity?
Savoury or sugary? - is often the question. We like dozens of foods, both savoury and sweet, whether it's pancakes, cheesecake or pie. Recently, dishes that are not salty or sweet have become increasingly popular. But it was not always so obvious to mix these two flavours.
With our tongue we feel
We humans are able to perceive four different basic tongues, in different areas of our language. These are sweet, salty, sour and bitter, with the mysterious fifth taste being umami. Umami is not considered a basic flavour because it can be described by the composition of the four basic tastes, and its receptors are found all over the surface of our tongue.
The mixing of the two basic flavours, salty and sweet, gives a kick - some sources say it will double - the sense of taste. In addition, we associate every base flavour with an instinctive feeling and an effect we have experienced many times before. Sweet is the most obvious of all: the pleasure of sugar is indisputable.
Bitter is also obvious, nature often warns us that it is poisonous with a bitter taste. Sour is associated with the vitamin-rich nature of food, but salt is more elusive. It is generally believed that the sensation of saltiness conveys a message of nutrient-dense food. It is inescapable that even a small amount of salt in a dish has a flavour-enhancing effect in most foods.
Border crossings
However, many people are averse to savouring salty and sweet flavours together. The simple reason is that it is very easy to go wrong. This principle could lead to some bizarre formations - after all, who wants to eat a sausage with jam? It sounds wrong, but the gourmet world is full of this flavour combination.
A few decades ago, in the petrified gastronomic culture of socialism, stuffing turkey with peaches or offering a sweet forest-fruit sauce with game meats such as venison or venison tendon was considered a delicacy. Today, this pairing of flavours is completely natural and chefs have gone much further in experimenting with flavours.
Of course, even the old cookbooks say that a pinch of salt is needed in most pasta, in sweets It has its place, as many soups, sauces and stews can do with a touch of sugar. Why is that?
Salt and sugar are both natural flavour enhancers - as our grandmothers in the Carpathian Basin knew, or ancient cultures such as Indian or Chinese. These cuisines are bursting with such flavours: thick Indian sauces are both salty and sweet, and in China the most diverse combinations of sweet-sour-salty-spicy flavours have reached their peak.
The confectionery industry also loves the sweet and salty contrast
If we say: salted chocolate pretzel, salted caramel or Snickers bar, they are already part of our food culture. The pairing of salt and caramel (dense, burnt sugar) can be traced back to a French confectioner who emigrated to Britain in the 20th century.
Henri Le Roux was inspired by the British salty butter and after about three months of testing, he created his now legendary recipe: a savoury butter caramel made with chopped walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds to give it a unique crunchy texture. This basic idea has since been echoed in countless in cake, in cake, in chocolate.
Market analyst firm Innova reports that the with salted caramel flavoured foods and drinks have grown by 41% per year worldwide (2014-2018) and are forecast to continue to grow. It's clear that today's stimulus-driven consumer is looking for intense flavours, and there isn't a confectionery that doesn't offer a chocolate bar with salty nuts or a savoury caramel treat.
