What is swicy? 6 sweet-and-spicy dishes to try

Swicy is an amalgamation of sweet and spicy, one of the most popular global food trends around right now. It may be a new word, but it’s an ancient flavour profile that’s been around for centuries in cuisines such as Korean, Thai, Indian, Chinese and Mexican. The sweetness counterbalances the burn of chili, and the spice adds an essential dimension and intensity making for a nuanced taste. Food trends around the world are constantly shifting and the swicy flavour is turning up in all kinds of foods from fried chicken and hot honey, to snacks, deserts and drinks making sweet-and-spicy a growing flavor the world over.

Crunchy fried chicken smothered in a coating of gochujang, garlic, sugar, and syrup. It perfectly balances sweet with the sour heat of the fermented chili paste and is one of the quintessential sweet-spicy foods of Korea and one of the leading trends in the recent swicy revolution.

Jaggery has been paired with red/green chili and tamarind across the various regional cooking styles of India, in states like Gujarat and Maharashtra, to create a sweet-spicy-tangy chutney that has centuries of history behind it.

Fresh mango, pineapple, and watermelon are covered with chamoy, a sauce made with fruit, lime, and chili peppers resulting in a sweet-spicy-salty-sour burst of flavors.

One of the most popular and trending modern swicy foods, this dish features hot honey infused with chili peppers, drizzled on top of pizzas, fried chicken, and even desserts and is a phenomenon across restaurants and supermarkets.

These fruity wings marry the sweet tropical flavors of mango with the intense heat of habanero peppers, and exemplify why the pairing of fruit with chili has exploded worldwide.

Spicy hot chocolate is a cacao-based beverage that is spiced with chilies. It originated in Mexico and has its roots in the consumption of chocolate with spices by the ancient Maya and Aztecs.