Why does fat taste sweet?

[Mangetout]

@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.

In the case of onions, they’re sweet because they contain sugars. Other browning reactions aren’t necessarily doing anything to the fats - crispy fat on a pork chop is (I believe) hydrolised proteins - which is why they taste different - some of the proteins are decomposed into amino acids.

Some amino acids have a sweet-ish flavour though, so maybe that’s what this is all about.

Crab meat is sweet because of amino acids.

[naita]

@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???

No, I think they taste sweet as well. But as has been pointed out, in none of those are you tasting “fat”. You’re tasting browned proteins in the fatty cow tissue and bird skin, and lactose in butter and cheese.

[Colophon]

Unsalted butter does taste a bit sweet to me, but I always assumed that is due to the lactose. Same reason milk tastes sweet.

But pure fat? Not sweet.

[Leo_Bloom]

@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.

@Mangetout

In the case of onions, they’re sweet because they contain sugars. Other browning reactions aren’t necessarily doing anything to the fats - crispy fat on a pork chop is (I believe) hydrolised proteins - which is why they taste different - some of the proteins are decomposed into amino acids.

Some amino acids have a sweet-ish flavour though, so maybe that’s what this is all about.

Crab meat is sweet because of amino acids.

My words “on the other hand” were bad. Yes, onions have tons of sugar, but not pure sugar, so Mailard is around. Basically, “browning” is for everything but working with sugar. Fewer people purposely melt sugar–sometimes to different temperatures/colors–and that’s better called caramelization.