Salt and sugar – two of the premium taste makers of cuisines all across the world. without salt and sugar, we would probably not know the taste of most of the favourite foods that we now relish. They bring out the flavour, season our bland food and with their mere presence, make every dish taste better. There has also been an overstretched war of culinary experts about what is more important for our food – sugar or salt? Everyone has heard the story of the Princess who was thrown out of her Kingdom because she called salt the sweetest thing in the world, and not sugar; only for the King to later realise that his daughter was correct after eating salt-less food. So, is salt really the most important condiment, even more than sugar?
To answer that question is as worthless as trying to eat a dish that is neither salty, nor sweet. The more interesting question is, are salt and sugar arch rivals or best friends? Do they repel each other or complement each other? This is interesting because there are so many examples to prove that despite having flavours that are polar opposite to each other, salt and sugar are often used to cook amazing dishes together. Let us look at some examples of food that would be incomplete without either salt or sugar in it, and often, it isn’t just for flavour, it is for the colour of the dish too.
Growing up, I always saw my Dida, maternal grandmother, put a pinch of salt in hot mustard oil before putting other ingredients while making any spicy gravy. For the longest time, I believed that is because she does not want the gravy to be too spicy for anyone, well, of course other than me, because my spice tolerance is off the charts. So, I used to get annoyed that to please everyone, I am not getting the spiciest gravy possible. I complained to her and that is when she let me know that it is for giving the gravy a reddish golden colour, which makes it more appealing. Further, a pinch of sugar helps enhance the spice as well as the salty flavours of the gravy by balancing them. Hence, adding a pinch of sugar has always been my secret to making goo looking (and tasting) gravy dishes.
There are several famous dishes that taste absolutely delightful due to the combination of sugar and salt. The most favourite sandwich PBJ or Peanut Butter and Jelly, is one of the classic dishes that use the salty and sweet flavours to perfection. Another popular dish is caramel popcorn – there is just something about those little treats tasting sweet and salty at the same time that you cannot just stop at a few kernels – you need a whole tub! Indian street food chaat is also a great example of combining the salty and sweet flavours of chhole and imli ki meethi chutney to make a snack that is loved by all. The fact that we crave sweet desserts after eating savoury foo is the biggest example that we indeed need both of these flavours equally to spice up our taste buds and life alike.
Scientifically speaking, sugar and salt taste so good together because they are in fact two flavours that our tongue craves – sweet and salty. Salt has sodium which is not naturally stored in the body, so getting that makes our receptors happy. Sugar is automatically detected as energy by our bodies, so that is again well received by the system. By combining both, our taste receptors get the best of both flavours, hence we enjoy the combination so much.
So, the next time you find yourself ordering the biggest tub of caramel popcorn while at the cinema, just embrace the fact that salt and sugar are made or each other and the craving that you have to eat both together is valid as well as satiating for your tongue and body.