Jeez Louise. They’re serving a burger in Astoria, Queens that comes on a bun made from… a doughnut.
I’m really concerned.
This American thing for combining savory and sweet has already spread all over Europe. In France, where once upon a time the only dish you could find combining savory and sweet was canard a l’orange–the French practically had a law against savory and sweet–but restaurateurs today are fighting each other to see how many dishes they can get onto the main-course menu that involve sweet elements. Fruit. Honey. Jams. Maple syrup, for gosh sakes. It’s a disaster. It completely distorts the balance of French cooking; it tastes like it’s for kids, and it wreaks havoc on wine, robbing it of its fruit. The response of winemakers internationally? Make fruitier, sweeter wines to keep up with the food. It’s a vicious circle. Where’s it all going to end?
I hope with this ridiculous burger in Queens. Sure, a little ketchup’s OK on a burger (touch of sweetness)… a small amount of sweet pickle… but our national savory treasure swaddled in a doughnut????
Am I off-base here? What do you think about the growing plague of sweet with everything?
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Comments ( 4 )
Thank you! Coming from Australia which does dabble a little in the salty sweet terrain (pineapple on burgers and pizza) I was shocked when I was given a box of chocolate-covered pretzels for Christmas – I thought it was some sort of joke.
Andrew added these pithy words on Jul 26 10 at 4:08 pm I could not agree with you more david, sweet and savory is rarely very cool together…
Tim added these pithy words on Jul 26 10 at 4:13 pm 
Bartolomei Scappi was doing the sweet & savoury in the 16th century. Before American food took off.
How about apple sauces with pork/gammon/roesti, red currant jelly, membrillo with cheeses (especially salty blues), sultanas, dates, quince with Sicilian and North African food, prosciutto & melon, sweet pork buns (Momofuku adopted from old Chinese), red cooked pork, sugar cane prawns, turnip cake, baccala with sweet piquillo peppers, just to mention a few sweet & savoury ides.
Gravlax uses salt & sugar to cure, like other products.
Don't think all sweet & savoury ideas suck?
Thermomixer added these pithy words on Jul 27 10 at 5:34 am 
