How about the heat! We hit 32 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday in sunny PEI. Finally some sun as the weather has been sub par thus far this summer – it is nice to get a couple of days in a row without the wet stuff. It is also beneficial for the house construction.
So I have been dying to ask this question ….
Sweet or Salty?
We all have certain foods that we gravitate towards when we are feeling down. Whether these foods include mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, candy or chocolate cake. We call them “comfort foods” because their consumption evokes a comfortable and pleasurable state of mind. But why do certain foods comfort one person and not another?
Stereotypically, women crave sweets and men crave salty foods.
Are you a Salty Dog?
When it comes to snacks
- You’re more likely to grab a bag of chips over a bag of cookies.
- Your taste tends to be complex, sophisticated, and mature.
- You tend to crave your favorite restaurant meal… or mom’s cooking.
Do you have a Sweet Tooth?
When it comes to snacks
- You’re more likely to grab some candy than heat up a pizza.
- Your tastes are simple and predictable. You are young at heart.
- You tend to crave food you can just grab and eat.
So I need to know the answer!! I am attempting to set a zestycook.com record for the most comments ever, so if you are reading this – leave a comment about whether you are sweet or salty.
It is super easy so lets see if we can break 300 comments.
I hope you have a great Thursday and I will see you tomorrow for a nice sandwich idea for a potluck. Can’t wait!
Take care
zesty
{ 202 comments… read them below or add one }
Between the two, I am salty…but my favorite is salty AND sweet!
Sweet, obiv.
I think I’m a strange mixture of the two. When I want “comfort food”, I want chocolate or sweets. But I definitely favor savoury foods over sweet, and I certainly have a more “sophisticated” palate. I never crave something quick, I always crave the elaborate! Where does that put me?
Salty!! No question.
Mmmm, I’d like to think I have a sweet tooth, but I always go for the salty stuff.
Both, I am from Mexico and we love our sweet/salty/spicy snacks. Have you ever tried mango slices with lime and chili powder? Delicious! :-p Good luck on the 300 comments
Oh man, seriously I have to pick between the two? Sweet!! Normally followed by something saltly. I’m bad, I know it!!
You know, I have trouble deciding, too, but I think it’s because either is a trigger – a little sweet, and I crave more and more sweets, and yet a little salty makes me want more salt!
Oooohhh…that’s a tough one, Zesty! It depends on my mood, but I’m going to say that sweet wins most of the time. I can’t resist a cookie, and cinnamon graham crackers are my go-to sweet snack. Yum!
Definitely sweet! But only the good stuff and preferably homemade!
Definitely sweet. I actually hate salty stuff!
Salty, no doubt. Put me and a bag of chips in the same room, and I’m going to win, hands down.
That is so hard to answer. Hmm, I actually like them together best! But for you, I will pick just one and that would be Salty!
100 percent sweet! I love a good potato chip too, but given a choice, I’ll always pick a cookie.
Salty for sure! I’d choose chips over anything sweet any day.
It depends on the day/time for me!! I can’t decide on an answer!
I like both, but I’ll just say sweet
I would say sweet normally. I love ice cream, cake, peanut m&m’s… But since being pregnant, I am LOVING salty stuff. Pretzels, string cheese, chips and salsa, popcorn, can’t get enough!
I’m both!
I’m both as well. Sometimes I crave lasagna. Sometimes I crave cheesecake!
Gotta have a little of both!!
Salty for sure!
Sweet wins every time!
Salty Dog all the way!!
I’d be tempted to say both, but I’d probably lean toward sweet if only given one option.
Salt now! Though up until a year ago, I was definitely a sweet tooth. I wonder why that changed…?
Sweet, hands down.
You know, I have a friend who studies genetics and he says that your flavor preferences are actually genetic. Think: I’m Hawaiian, and I will eat fruit and sweet things before any savory dish. I don’t know how solidly true that is, but it’s an interesting theory to think about.
@Ashley – I tend to agree – that is a very interesting theory!
I would say I stand right in the middle of sweet and salty. Depending on my mood, I will grab one or the other. Now if you mix them together like a handful of chocolate covered pretzels, I am in heaven!
Usually salty!! Sometimes sweet. But bittersweet not sugary sweet.
I’m all about both! Mixing my M&M’s in with Pretzels or popcorn is the BEST thing ever!!!
sweet! i really like the sweet salty combo too tho! mmm chocolate covered pretzels! but i will pick sweet today. i love candy!
I love them together but if I go for one thing at a time – it is salty. I also love sweet/heat!
Sweet!
I like both, but I’d say when I’m really CRAVING something, it’s generally salty foods.
Definitely sweet – cake, ice cream, and chocolate!
I usually crave sweets. But I love them together–hello chocolate covered pretzels!
I guess I am “guy-like” LOL…I LOVE salty and crunchy anytime and I do not have to be in the mood for it. For sweets, I have to have an actual craving….otherwise they do not sound good.
Stressed ~ I crunch it away! Although technically stressed spelled backwards = desserts so go figure
Oh, I’m a chippy! Potato and Chocolate. Still, I guess salty wins.
I crave sweets most of the time. Sometimes I crave salty things, but this doesn’t happen often.
Oh God, how to decide?! I would have to say Sweet Tooth though. I love me some Swedish Berries or Mike n Ikes…and Halloween candy doesn’t stand a chance around me.
I’m usually a sweet gal, but there are certain times when salty really hits the spot.
I also enjoy a combination of the two from time to time.
Salty. But in the summer nothing satisfies like a fresh piece of fruit! I do love dark choc with sea salt so I guess I just love it all
Salty but I do love me some white chocolate covered pretzels
I’m definitely a sweet kind of girl! I love anything chocolate.
It really depends on the day, I like both. However, based on stories from my childhood, as recounted by my parents, I was born with a sweet tooth.
Usually sweet… like ice cream or chocolate! However, I’ve had my salty cravings, which generally involve pizza, Kraft mac n cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries!
I guess it just depends on my mood!
I love salty foods, but by default, they lead me to my sweet tooth! I try not to eat junk but I often crave something spicy and salty. However, when I’m done eating my salty snack, I then want something sweet and this horrible cycle perpetuates itself!
Definitely salty!
Yup, I’m all about the combo!
I’m definitely a ‘sweet’ girl. But like many above, there are times when something salty tastes really good. I can leave the potato chips sitting all day, but put a cookie in front of me
and I can’t resist!
I’m going to have to say that I’d grab a salty snack before a sweet one. My go to “comfort food” when I need a pick-me-up are chips and salsa with a side of guac.!
I’m a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge sweettooth.. so much so, I call them sweet teeth… I rarely crave salty.. but LOOOOVE salty and sweet as well :]
Umm, yeah, I would have to go with sweet!! I love salty food too, but I really crave sweets much more.
What good descriptions – sweet for sure! Although I can’t say I often say no to pizza either…
Totally prefer salty
I can only take so much sweet at one time. Though the best is sweet and salty together!
Do I have to choose? Oh, the agony! But I’m going to say salt. I can have a meal with no sweet stuff, but nothing salty? Oh, no.
Salty!!! My go-to comfort food is cheese, any way I can get it!
Totally a sweet tooth lady over here!
salty all the way. I would rather eat a basket of restuarnt bread and skip dessert!
salty
Oh, really hard to say! I love both but I tend to lean toward salty — sodium is my arch nemesis.
Honestly, sometimes after dinner I’d rather have a sandwich than a piece of cake.
Jenn
Oh, I am a sweet tooth all the way!!!
Both please! Chocolate covered pretzels are awesome.
Sweet-tooth all the way. But I do think chocolate-covered pretzels are one of the best things ever.
I could really go either way. Some days it sweet, other days its salty. I guess if I had to pick I would have to say I have more sweet days than salty;)
I love sweet snacks. I’m not much of a salt person. BUT, give me something sweet and salty and I’m in heaven!
Definitely a sweets-addict here–if it’s chocolate-covered or candy-coated, I am SO there.
Im more sweet than salty in a low mood, but there are some days when tortillas and cheese sauce just hit the spot. But truth be told, I’ll take a brownie, or really anything chocolate, over a salty treat any day.
sweet. sweet. sweet! all the way! baked goodies especially
Sweets… all the way
At night, SWEET, but during the day SALT! Actually, it all depends on where I am hormonally (you know what I mean, I won’t go into detail). That makes a huge difference as to what I crave!
if i had to choose, it’d have to be SWEEEEET!
Salty. I’ll take chips over candy any day.
salty all the way, except for ice cream…
50/50, if that’s allowed. chocolate-covered pretzels are my favorite treat, hands down.
Salt for sure – especially after being diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago – um, soft pretzels with salt!!
I’m definitely a sweet lover. Though if I go out for a night at the theatres, I love my theatre popcorn! I know, not heatly but soooo yummy!
Sweet!
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
definitely SWEET! Like soy ice cream or green and black’s dark chocolate
can I say both? I’m the type to like chocolate covered pretzels and savory sweet dishes that play on the senses. Those are the best!
sweet… then salty… then sweet!
Oh, I’m going against the grain with my answer too! I like a sweet/salty combo for any snack attack. Think trail mix (Target’s Monster Trail Mix), chocolate covered pretzels, caramel with sea salt, etc. If I do them separate then I crave the other.
Both! I love them together!
I’m totaly with Katie (above) – I rotate back and forth!!! More salty since my taste buds have been changing recently (after going vegan and more high-raw), but I still crave sweets at night always!!
I am definitely a salty person. If I want something sweet I usually have to have something salty with it..like nuts and chocolate. Plus I would rather have a glass of wine over dessert any day…I guess that wasn’t the question though
Salty. I have zero sweet tooth. I’d rather have antoher serving of spaghetti than any dessert. I think I eat dessert about 5 times a year.
100% crave sweet over salty, but I do love salty sometimes. If I ever had to pick, I’d pick sometime sweet, hands down!
Salty, definitely. Though, like many others, the sweet/salty combination is definitely a good one!
I really hate to pick, but I think ultimately I go for salty more than sweet. Though putting them together is best!
SWEET!
Salty!
i would pick salty and then mix it up with something sweet! or both together! hahaha
Honestly I like both- but I would have to say that I am more a salty type girl
Salty!
Sweet definitely!!
Both depending on my cravings. I tend to crave the sweet and salty combo a lot more.
Sweet!
A balanced snack is something sweet AND something salty, isn’t it? I love roasted, lightly salted nuts with bits of dried fruit and something chocolate such as M&Ms or chocolate chips.
I am a grab-and-eat kind of person, although I love to cook.
I am currently in the process of losing weight – cutting calories and increasing exercise – but I can dream, can’t I?!
Sweet… all the way!!
Absolutely sweet! I can walk away from salty foods but sweets are a different story.
i’d probably go with sweet… but i do crave salty sometimes, too
Sweet! I have a weakness for all things sweet- ice cream, candy….
Salty!! Those pretzels are way more tempting than the candy! And I’d take a cheese plate over dessert every time.
sweet!
Sweet! I can’t pass up any sort of sweet treat. It would be impossible.
5 years ago it was SWEET and more SWEET…now it’s salty 9 out of 10 times:) Not sure when or why my tasted changed but I love the salty stuff!
I definitely have a big sweet tooth.
Ice cream or cake or cookies, sometimes peanut butter (as in PB cookies) so I guess that makes me sweet.
sweeeeet
Think I’m gonna have to go with salty. I tend to crave certain meals or particular types of food before I crave sweets.
I have always been a fan of sweet over salty. But now that I am pregnant, I find myself gravitating towards the salty things.
Sweeeeeeeeeeet!
Sweet all the way, baby!
sweet for sure!
I’m a salty dog
I love any carb baked, sauteed, fried, roasted, etc. I won’t turn my nose at sweets either but if I had to choose between french fries or chocolate, I would choose the salty carb any day!
i’m a salty gal…looks like i’m the minority!
Definitely sweet!!!
If I had to pick one, I guess salty, but the picture of the pretzels and chocolate just makes me want to say – both… TOGETHER!
Salty definitely!!
I think I have a mouthful of sweet teeth.
I am both salty and sweet and usually salty first and then I feel the need to follow up with sweet. So because of that I try to not keep either salty or sweet within easy reach.
I definitely have a sweet tooth. I curb my cravings with lots of sweet fruit.
Sweet! Ice Cream has always been my favorite thing in the world
To answer your question: I like both. What I’ve really been digging lately is a sweet treat with a salty bite, too. For example: sea salt covered caramels, dark chocolate covered (salted) edamame, dark chocolate covered almonds coated w/ turbino sugar and sea salt. But if those aren’t available – I would go for the sweet stuff.
Hmmm..that’s a tough one! I love to mix a lil bit of sweet with a lil bit of salty…dark chocolate covered pretzels or cacao covered nuts…yum…
Reading all these posts is making me want some sweets/salty treats after work. Hehe…
Have a great day!!! Hope it’s a bit less hot up there for you…it’s a humid one here in Manhattan.
Best,
Amie
Most of the time I reach for something sweet. However, every once in awhile I need salty! Hope you reach 300+
Salty Dog here. Good luck on your goal!
I am cursed with a sweet & salty tooth… or teeth lol
chocolate covered pretzels or nuts, salted caramel, chocolate chip cookies with a light sprinkle of sea salt… ohhh sooo good.
So, basically I’ll reach for whatever is the closest to me LOL cursed I tell you!!
absolutely sweet…. preferably in the form of chocolate or something oooey-gooey!
Completely salty. And my favorite sweets and sweets with salt (e.g., chocolate covered pretzels, sea salt caramels) !! Even as a kid, I never wanted the cake with the sweet icing – I would puch most of the icing off of the cake.
Salt please, I LOVE chips and guac or chips and dip, popcorn, even pretzels. I have always tended toward savory much more than sweet.
I love sweets and have a major sweet tooth but snackwise, more often than not I go for something more salty! I don’t know if I could fully pick one over the other though. I’d ideally like a little bit of each!
I vote salty!
I love chocolate – but usually prefer darker, not sweeter…bring on the chips and pizza!
OMG … don’t they go together. salty & chocolate makes me want some NOW !
I go back and forth. I guess most of the time I like sweets, but after a night of drinking I want nothing to do with anything sweet and crave salty JUNK!
Sweet and salty together is my ultimate favorite (i.e. chocolate covered pretzels= HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH)
But if I had to choose just one…I’d go with sweet.
Salty!
Definitely, definitely sweet. The description was spot-on!
And good luck breaking 300 comments!
SUGAR!!!!!I always crave sweet over anything else!
I love sweet stuff. I agree with others that sometimes something both sweet and salty is best!
SWEET!
Is it impossible to be both?? I honestly can not choose one. When I’m feeling snacky I always go for a half salty/half sweet treat!
Sweet and salty together – when I’m wanting a snack I want chocolate covered peanuts or pretzels. But if I had to choose just one I’d go with salty.
sweet. not even a choice.
ssssssweet!
defintely SWEET!
lately i have becoming saltier… but overall definitely SWEET.
salty!
sweet!
Sweet!
sweet all the way!
SALTY!!! Though I do like a good combination (think chocolate covered pretzels), I am a salt fanatic. A year ago I would have said sweet, but my love of pretzels, popcorn, chips & salsa and guacamole override chocolate, sadly.
Sweet. 110%! Just had a dinner of waffles and strawberries!
WOW it got that hot in the maritimes?!?!?!?! ekkkk!!!!
hmmm can I be half and half- sweet & salty?
SALTY. Give me chips and salsa over birthday cake ANY DAY!
I always have a sweet tooth :]
salty
I like both sweet and salty… I sometimes eat sweet gherkins straight from the jar! The best tasting salty/sweet snack has to be candied or sugared cashews! They are in abundance at craft shows and festivals here in the US. Bass Pro shops usually have a vendor that make them fresh. When I was pregnant I was lucky enough to find a Bass Pro right next to the Babies R Us. Hello indulgence!
This is much harder than it should be! I think I’ll have to go with salty snacks though…
This lady will always go for a salty indulgence.
Kettle chips would be my choice, the crunchier the better.
Of course after the salty must come at least a little sweet, one small square of dark, bittersweet chocolate will hit the spot. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm then salty, then sweet, then salty, what a vicious, delicious circle!!!
I can’t say I choose one or the other more. It really depends on the mood I’m in when I need comfort food as to what I’ll reach for. Or sometimes I need both – can’t beat the sweet/salty combo!
I’m totally a salty person, i crave salty snacks and/or meals much more than sweet things (dark chocolate is the exception).
salty! no contest. i even like my sweet to be salty.
I really love a combination of both, but if I had to choose I would say sweet.
i tend to favor sweet (i have a CRAZY sweet tooth) but i prefer a balance of sweet and salty. yum!
How about both at the same time?
In truth, I have an insatiable SWEET tooth. I’m not sure if the descriptors for my snacking preferences are spot-on, but I certainly do love sweet treats!
Without a doubt, sweet!
Definitely sweet! I tend to go for desserts when I’m feeling down (try to fight it though!).
Sigh. It’s like asking which leg I’d like chopped off. I want both!
Okay…quick like a band-aid. Sweet.
Ouch.
If I have to choose, I’d go with sweet, but I’d never turn down salty. I love them both.
Salty. Crunchy. Any combination of the two. Chips. Potatoes. Pasta. Cheese and crackers. Triscuits. Oh how I love Triscuits. Mmmmm.
Salty, definitely.
I have a massive sweet tooth! I somehow continue to surprise myself with how much sweet foods I can consume in a short amount of time! But I just can’t stop!
I would have to go with sweet.
Gimme sugah, baby! Unfortunately I have an out of control sweet tooth! But I like my salty-ness now and again, too. Still sweet stuff is probably my number one craving.
I am more of a salty
Sorry, I’m both…I’m a Sweet & Salty woman!
I would be a sweet lover; give me a cookie and I’m happy-especially if it’s got chocolate in it! But I still like the occassional salty snack too.
While there is no argument that my sweet tooth has a mind of it’s own and is entirely uncontrollable, if I have to choose then I pick salt. But I’d prefer to be a tad more bi-partisian! I am a salty-sweet fanatic sure. There isn’t a batch of cookies that I don’t add a couple extra ‘pinches’ of salt to! I think it helps accentuate the sweetness of just about anything. My hubby agrees. So does all of his coworkers, they never complain about the goodies I frequently send in to work with him!
Salty, salty, salty! Even better, salty and crunchy.
im addicted to salt, so SALTY!
Salty or maybe Salty with a touch of sweet but barring that definitely salty.
Am I too late? I LOVE salty! Actually a combo of salty and sweet is the best, but I hate sweet by itself, so salty it is!
Salty! But I like both if I’m feeling snacky.
Sweet!
well, 80% salty, 20% sweet, is that fair.
I am all about the salt! I never really liked sweets… especially hated/hate pie!
SWEET!!! Give me cookies any day!
SALTY-NESS HERE. Gotta love the salted sunflower seeds
Interesting topic !
seriously, I read that). But when it comes with a sunny day and I’m deciding to have some real snack – probably I’ll go salty , with a healthy style nuts, or hummus. I know that people kinda have memories for sweet food – cookie today may leads to a cookie the next day. I’m wondering if salty snack has the same lingering effect. Let us know your research result !!!
I’m a sweet style I guess, but it really depends. When I am a bit depressed, those chocolates or sweets or cakes just act as a “mood lifter” (according to consumer behavior journal
I am totally salty….UNLESS it’s a good combo of sweet and salty!! Mmmmm….
I am absolutely sweet and cannot imagine preferring salty snacks!
Salty for me
James Beard said it best “Where would we be without salt?”
sweet all the way baby!! ALthough a combo is always nice as well. NOTHING is as delicious as a chocolate covered pretzel:) REcently someone made for me the most amazing chocolate cookies dusted with sea salt. It sounded kinda nasty but the taste was addictive.
SALTY! There are very few sweets I really enjoy, most are too sweet by far. Even milk chocolate tastes like a sugar kick to me!
Aargh! Don’t make me choose one without the other. Some days I like it sweet, some days I like it salty…Ok, maybe not the whole day.
I am salty 120%. I will eat cookies when available but I usually need to stop after 3 or 4 since I can’t handle too much. On the other hand give me Chex mix and I will eat the bag without realizing it. Especially in the summer as it can be 34 degrees Celsius(93 fahrenheit)with 50 to 60% humidity and the salt pours out of my sweat glands.
Oh I always drink my coffee black, prefer dark chocolate, and black pepper and onion are more delicious than salt.
I’m pretty sure I fall on the sweet side. Nothing salty really appeals to me unless it’s like pickles and mashed potatoes with cheese. *Not together of course..*
-Sylvia
I prefer salt. I’d rather eat a bowl of kalamata olives and firm cheese than a sweet. I don’t like chocolate and despise cake.
I am gonna definitely say salty on this poll, you invite me over for movie night and offer me chips and popcorn or m&ms and milk duds, girlll I am taking those potato chips and popcorn everytime and then some!! Salt is my weakness, it goes with everything, slap some butter on some bread and sprinkle some salt on it…delightful!!! Cheese and salt go together like cheese and salt, especially when topped on nachos or a potato in any form, i put salt on everything, and if it comes to dessert at night, screw the cakes give me a salty dirty martini with blue cheese olives!
I love salty foods! I like sweet too but I don’t usually crave sweetness as much as I crave saltiness.
I realized that most of my favorite foods are salty.
For example, chips, onion rings, spicy french fries, pickles, olives, and my favorite… umeboshi! You may not have heard of umeboshi before, but it’s delicious. I say that, but most people don’t like it. It’s extremely salty. It’s a pickled Japanese plum and has many health benefits, but my problem with eating umeboshi is that too much salt is not good for you and I often take more umeboshi than is healthy. However i try to control myself
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