Food for thought

Find out about the latest trends, Slow Food and UAE-based artist and culinary researcher Nahla Tabbaa

Swicy Food

Umami, that formerly obscure ‘fifth taste’, has been thoroughly demystified after a few years of fashionable overexposure in modern Asian cuisine. If you’re looking for a newly popular flavour profile to broaden your palate, consider the sweet and spicy combination exemplified by the likes of chocolate and honey infused with chilli flakes or powders. South Korean cuisine specialised in ‘swicy’ long before this gimmicky hybrid term was ever coined for it, and optimal marinades for dishes like fire chicken tend to blend a searingly peppery base sauce with a fruity, sugary glaze.