A sweet and sour recipe combines sour and sweet.
Bittersweet is an adjective used to describe the combination of sweet and sour . Sweet and sour flavors, therefore, mix these two characteristics.
For example: “I'm going to order the chicken with sweet and sour sauce,” “Last night I had sweet and sour pork with carrot puree for dinner,” “I don't like sweet and sour dishes.”
It should be noted that something sour is perceived as acidic . In this way, when we eat some sweet and sour food, we will notice a flavor with a certain sweetness , but at the same time with hints of acidity . In some countries, there is an extensive tradition in the preparation of sweet and sour recipes.
sweet and sour sauce
In Chinese cuisine , to cite one case, the use of the so-called sweet and sour sauce is common. In reality, there are multiple recipes for making sweet and sour sauces, which can include oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce or honey, among other ingredients.
Sweet and sour pork is a preparation that consists of cutting pork into cubes, frying them and serving them in a sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and ketchup. The usual thing is to accompany the meat with onion, bell pepper and pineapple.
Sweet and sour dishes are common in oriental cuisine.
Vegan recipes
Although traditional cuisine seems to be intended only for people who eat meat, eggs and milk, we must not forget that millions of people have chosen to avoid products of animal origin. For them, vegans , there are also endless sweet and sour dishes.
Such is the case of sweet and sour tofu , an easy recipe to prepare, ideal to combine with white rice or boiled vegetables. It is prepared with a thick sauce made of cornstarch, olive oil, garlic, ginger, chili, tomato paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar and water; It is then combined with pieces of tofu previously dehydrated and cooked in a pan with a little olive oil until golden and crispy. When serving, it is recommended to decorate with toasted sesame seeds.
The bittersweet and the tradition
It could be said that sweet and sour dishes are on that small list of products that serve to classify different types of diners according to their tastes . In general, the palates of the little ones are not prepared to enjoy this mixture of flavors, especially because of the diet they normally receive from their elders: they teach us to separate salty from sweet .
For this reason, when we try a sweet and sour recipe for the first time the reaction may be rejection, although this does not necessarily indicate that we cannot adapt and begin to appreciate this plane of gastronomy . After an adequate transition stage, in which we open ourselves more and more to the combination of salt and sugar , it is likely that our palate will mature and begin to enjoy it.
Symbolic use of the term
The idea of bittersweet can also be used in a symbolic sense. When a situation provokes a certain joy but, simultaneously, brings about something that generates discomfort or annoyance , it can be described as bittersweet: “It was a bittersweet triumph for the national team: it allowed them to close the tournament with a victory, but it was not enough to qualify for the next round” , “It will be a bittersweet birthday because my mother and sister will come, although my father will not be able to be present since he is traveling for work reasons.”
Likewise, there are those who claim that life is full of bittersweet moments, since it is not possible to extend happiness indefinitely nor is it common for someone to constantly suffer misfortunes for days, months and years. On the contrary, our existence is an irregular fusion of very diverse events, covering those situations that make us happy as well as those that make us deeply sad, and we must accept the rules.