# Why does fat taste sweet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170 "2013-06-29T00:28:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/1 "2013-06-29T00:28:05Z")
Why does fat taste sweet? Explain. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/2 "2013-06-29T00:57:46Z")
Pure fat is basically tasteless. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/3 "2013-06-29T01:24:18Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Why does fat taste sweet? > > Explain. does it? Explain. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/4 "2013-06-29T01:26:34Z")
I don’t think it tastes like anything ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/5 "2013-06-29T01:35:15Z")
I have never noticed fat tasting sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/6 "2013-06-29T01:47:54Z")
Sweetened fat tastes sweet, due to added sugar. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/7 "2013-06-29T01:48:28Z")
Same here - not much taste to pure fat. Can the OP give us an idea what he/she considers a fat. Pure fats are things like butter, vegetable oil, mayonnaise (well virtually pure). Butter tastes good, and something about it enhances the taste of sugar, but I don’t think it is sweet in and of itself. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/8 "2013-06-29T04:11:26Z")
Right. And terms like “sweet cream butter” are a bit of a misnomer, it just means “not salted” kinda like “sweet” peppers on a dipped beef just means “not hot.” ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/9 "2013-06-29T04:25:25Z")
Not exactly, according to [Butter - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter#Types) > [@](#): > > Before modern factory butter making, cream was usually collected from several milkings and was therefore several days old and somewhat fermented by the time it was made into butter. Butter made from a fermented cream is known as cultured butter. During fermentation, the cream naturally sours as bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid. The fermentation process produces additional aroma compounds, including diacetyl, which makes for a fuller-flavored and more “buttery” tasting product. > > \ > > Dairy products are often pasteurized during production to kill pathogenic bacteria and other microbes. Butter made from pasteurized fresh cream is called sweet cream butter. Production of sweet cream butter first became common in the 19th century, with the development of refrigeration and the mechanical cream separator. Butter made from fresh or cultured unpasteurized cream is called raw cream butter. While butter made from pasteurized cream may keep for several months, raw cream butter has a shelf life of roughly ten days. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/10 "2013-06-29T04:42:40Z")
Go eat some Crisco. Report back. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/11 "2013-06-29T05:18:54Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Not exactly, according to [Butter - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter#Types) Huh. Would ya look at that. Thanks! Still not actually sweet, but not necessarily salty, either. See why I come here? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/12 "2013-06-29T08:06:53Z")
Go down to Bayard St. in NYC. Or fly to Shanghai. Go to a restaurant and order [Dong Po Pork.](http://www.kitchenoffriends.com/2011/04/dong-po-pork-belly.html) Melt-on-your-tongue fat simmered in rock sugar. Otherwise, fat isn’t sweet. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/13 "2013-07-01T22:47:04Z")
The browned fat on the edge of a steak tastes sweet to me. Crisp chicken or duck skin takes sweet to me. Anything with a lot of butter on it tastes sweet to me. Some very creamy cheeses taste sweet to me. Am I really the only one??? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/14 "2013-07-02T01:42:18Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Am I really the only one??? Yes you are. In this thread. So far. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MsBatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@MsBatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsBatt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/15 "2013-07-02T02:04:29Z")
I find the browned fat on chops, steak, etc. sweet as well. The same fat does not taste sweet if it’s been cooked by boiling. It’s something to do with the browning, I think. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/16 "2013-07-02T02:09:58Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > The browned fat on the edge of a steak tastes sweet to me. > > Crisp chicken or duck skin takes sweet to me. > > Anything with a lot of butter on it tastes sweet to me. > > Some very creamy cheeses taste sweet to me. > > Am I really the only one??? I guess you’re not the only one now, but I don’t taste sweet for any of those except maybe some cheeses (but the cheeses make sense, as fresh cheeses–like cream cheeses–usually have a good bit of lactose [milk sugar] in them). Chicken skin is definitely _not_ sweet to me. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/17 "2013-07-02T02:13:12Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > The browned fat on the edge of a steak tastes sweet to me. > > Crisp chicken or duck skin takes sweet to me. > > Anything with a lot of butter on it tastes sweet to me. > > Some very creamy cheeses taste sweet to me. > > Am I really the only one??? Well, _pace_ **CookingWithGas** ,\* the browned fat on a steak and the crispy skin _are_ sweet, primarily from what is known as the [Maillard reaction](http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/maillard.htm) (non-Wiki cite, just cuz, and this is a better one). What was/is termed “browning” was discovered to involve a chemical change of sugar and protein, and the browning process was/is often confused with [caramelization](http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/caramel.htm) which is a chemical process involving sugar only. About the dairy. Lactose is nothing more nor less than a sugar, and, I now find out, [can constitute 2-8% of milk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose) by weight. **ratatoskK** is apparently a very tolerant person, at least towards milk sugar. - Without GQ, I would be miserable, having no place to write “_pace_.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/18 "2013-07-02T02:19:16Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Well, _pace_ **CookingWithGas** ,\* the browned fat on a steak and the crispy skin _are_ sweet, primarily from what is known as the [Maillard reaction](http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/maillard.htm) (non-Wiki cite, just cuz, and this is a better one). See, I don’t characterize that flavor as “sweet.” To me, it’s “savory” or “umami,” quite distinct from sweet. There _might_ be a sweet tinge to it, but I would never describe it primarily as such. It’s more “rich,” “full,” and “meaty.” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/19 "2013-07-02T02:44:05Z")
I agree. No-one except me in a post trying to make a point would ordinarily call the results of Maillard reactions “sweet,” but the flavor is definitely there. On the other hand, browned onions, cooked down to a marmelade (confít) is sweet as can be. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170/20 "2013-07-02T02:47:16Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I agree. No-one except me in a post trying to make a point would ordinarily call the results of Maillard reactions “sweet,” but the flavor is definitely there. On the other hand, browned onions, cooked down to a marmelade (confít) is sweet as can be. Oh, yeah, cooked down onions are definitely sweet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-fat-taste-sweet/662170.md?page=2)