Would You Put Salt in Your Chocolate? Why Not!

If you’re a chocolate lover (and, let’s face it, most of us are) then you’ll know that salt is often added to chocolate recipes as it intensifies the flavour. It sounds strange that two such opposing taste sensations should go so well together but, as the saying goes – truth is stranger than fiction.

The Affinity Between Salty and Sweet

The demand for this chocolate combination has been growing annually for at least the past 10 years. Salty pretzels dipped in rich milk or dark chocolate, or caramel and salt chocolate bars are just two example of salt & sweet confectionery produced by manufacturers of wholesale sweets. But have you ever asked yourself just why this seemingly bizarre combination of opposites is so appealing to our taste buds?

Well, it’s not just a “fad” or a trend. Our desire to mix and match salty and sweet is rooted in scientific fact.

We naturally identify certain tastes as indications of the presence of food elements essential to our health. Sweetness identifies that the food we’re eating contains the body’s primary energy source – carbohydrates. Saltiness points to sodium which is also essential for good health. This isn’t a conscious thing but rather one that has evolved over the eons so that today the five main taste categories (sweet, salty, bitter, and sour and umami) perform a very real and essential function.

Salt, as well as being essential to our diet (in the past salt was often as expensive as gold) also enhances and brings out flavour. That’s one of the reasons we put salt in almost everything and then add more at the table. Manufacturers of wholesale sweets have been aware of this for years and have been using salt to produce what is known professionally as a “flavour layering” effect. The blend of sweet and salty provides a rich and complex flavour that excites the pallet and the taste buds and also provides our body with two essential elements - carbohydrates and sodium. A win-win situation!

Manufacturers of Wholesale Sweets Are Meeting the Challenge

Today, the demand for this intriguing flavour combination is skyrocketing. Sweet lovers around the world are clamouring for a greater choice of salty-sweet combinations and manufacturers are rushing to fill the demand.

Sea salt and caramel are now combined with milk and bitter chocolate, with caramel, with coffee and even ice cream to provide complex and mouth-watering flavours. Citrus fruits, yet another great chocolate companion, is being combined with salt to produce a unique taste sensation.

British confectionery has always been world-renowned for its variety and quality. We are always demanding new flavours, new taste experiences from the manufacturers of wholesale sweets. Well, the choice and quality are getting bigger and better day by day!