People prefer different flavours in their meals, which is the basis of sweet and savoury foods. So what is the basic difference between sweet and savoury? Sweet food is dominated by the taste of sugar or honey as in desserts, while savoury food is quite the opposite, full-flavoured, often sometimes spicy and associated with food of necessity rather than comfort.

They do however complement each other at dinner to the benefit of the palate. Pork as a savoury dish is often served with sweet apple sauce; similarly cranberry with turkey at Christmas. Salads and cheese boards have savoury cheeses, some with fruit inside them and are often accompanied by fresh, sweet fruit such as apples or strawberries; cheesecake as a popular dessert is a good example of a savoury product like cheese used successfully in conjunction with a fruit topping like mandarin oranges, blackcurrants or strawberries. Even wine as an accompaniment is chosen with such tastes in mind with dessert wines tailored for sweet desserts and other wines subtly chosen to compliment savoury meats and fish. Modern chefs frequently combine sweet and savoury foods to produce complex and yet complimentary flavours.

Sweet and savoury foods can be considered as two separate categories in practice, and sometimes they are in reality depending on your appetite and need for food. I mentioned meat as a typical savoury food earlier; vegetables, in general, are also classed as savoury and feature as a complimentary part of dinner. Snack foods, particularly those designed as part of a dietary requirement, are normally savoury and keep you from eating too much sweet food which is often high in calorie and fat content. Continue reading “The Difference Between Savoury and Sweet Foods”