We’re hearing a lot that some foods are sweet and some are salty, but what’s the difference? Is there any truth to the fact that salty foods are aphrodisiacs? And can a dish be both sweet and salty? Basically, sweet foods taste sweet, usually from sugar, honey, chocolate, or natural sugars found in fruits. Examples include candy, cakes, cookies, fudge, pies, puddings, and chocolate bars.

Salty foods do not focus on being sweet. Its main flavor would come from the combination of herbs and spices that make the dish appetizing, pleasant and pleasing to the senses like a Mediterranean-inspired chicken cooked with cumin and turmeric, or a roast beef with garlic and paprika. Meat, vegetables, and snacks are often tasty because they are prepared with minimal sugar and do not focus on a sweet taste.

And yes, a dish can be both sweet and salty. This is often seen in Asian cuisine, such as sweet and sour chicken or a turkey sauce made with sophisticated spices and sweetened with prunes, raisins, or honey. Honey mustard dishes are another example of sweet and savory.

But there is still more…

Since the time of the Saxons, savory, the bold and spicy herb, has come to mean not only the herb itself, but also an entire segment of cuisine. Savory is a Mediterranean aromatic herb of the mint family and has two varieties: summer savory and winter savory. Summer savory has the aroma of mint and thyme. Winter savory is best used for long-cooking dishes such as stews and sauces, or it can be added to water when cooking dry beans. Both varieties have a spicy touch, but the summer savory is milder. The salty herb is used to flavor meats, soups, and salads.

Fun facts

Savory is reputed to be an aphrodisiac. The Roman naturalist and writer Pliny the Elder, in the first century AD. C., gave the herb its name “satureja” derived from “satyr” (half man, half goat with an insatiable sexual appetite). According to tradition, the satyrs lived in savory meadows, which implies that it was the grass that made them so passionate. And as recently as this century, the celebrated French herbalist Messeque claimed that he used savory in the love potions he concocted for couples. As a child, his father told him that it was the herb of happiness.

San Francisco’s original name, Yerba Buena, means “good grass.” This is a variety of salty – Satureja douglasii. Early settlers learned to dry the herb and drank it in tea to cure a variety of ailments, earning it the name “good weed.” It is commonly used today in toothpaste and soaps.

sweet and salty

Sweet and savory flavors go great together in the same dish, such as: Roasted Turkey with Glazed Apple Topping, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Glazed Carrots, Garlic and Onion, Pineapple Chicken, and Pineapple Pizza.