Take sweet, add spicy, and you get swicy. A flavour combination and food trend expected to be on everyone’s lips in 2024. The success of this fusion of sweetness and heat has come about in response to consumer demand for more complex and exciting taste experiences. It’s a flavour that has captured the attention of chefs and the food industry, as a whole, who have readily incorporated the swicy concept into their dishes and product ranges.
A prime example of the swicy flavour profile is yangnyeom sauce, also known as gochujang sauce, a speciality of South Korean cuisine. This red chilli paste contains soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic and ginger and has a sticky, syrupy texture. It’s a favourite to garnish traditional fried chicken and season fried prawns and noodle dishes.
Another example of a swicy flavour is one of the sauces typically used by the South Korean fried chicken chain NeNe. This signature sauce is similar to yangnyeom, but is made with corn syrup and (probably) strawberry jam.
Swicy flavours are also commonly found in Chinese, Thai and Mexican cuisine, in dishes such as Mexican Mole Poblano sauce, spicy Salsa Macha or Mangonada, a dessert made with mango, chamoy and chilli powder.
This symphony of sweet and spicy sensations is poised to start a swicy culinary revolution.
Swicy flavours
