What Is 'Swalty' Food, Exactly?
If you've ever dipped your fries into your milkshake before, then you're already familiar with "swalty" appeal. The term is a portmanteau of "sweet" and "salty," not unlike the "swicy" food trend that took the gastronomic scene by storm this year.
The NEXT Flavor Report, which was published by Rubix Foods on November 19, predicts the food trends that will rule the scene in 2025, and swalty came out on top. The data was compiled from a multipronged research approach, combining "proprietary data, third-party research, and exclusive findings from Rubix's NEXT Flavor Network – a collective of three influential taste-making social media creators with Gen Z audiences."
Research aside, there's a scientific explanation for the rise of the swalty trend: The presence of salt enhances the taste receptors' ability to perceive sweetness. Salty literally makes sweet better on a biological level. But don't write this budding trend off as an inevitable matter of evolutionary course. Rubix is even calling swalty "the next swicy" looking forward to 2025.
The Swalty Era has been years in the making. Back in 2021, food futurologist Dr. Morgaine Gaye predicted "clashing combos" to gain popularity. As Gaye told FoodNavigator, "We've been a big fan of sweet and salty for a while now. Though [in 2021] it's ramping up into something even more indulgent and creative." Now, per the NEXT Report, demand for swalty foods has outpaced swicy foods by 5% in 2024, and the swalty market is projected to enjoy 32% further growth by 2028.
Sweet-salty foods are taking the culinary scene by storm this year
This contemporary craving might be a reflection of evolving customer values. Swalty foods sit fittingly at the intersection of "little treat culture" dominance and avant-garde flavor combos, which have taken on a major role in Gen Z gastronomy. Today's foodies are taking an intentional approach to elaborate snack-meals (girl dinner, anyone?), sprawling charcuterie spreads (which inspired the birth of TikTok's viral butter board trend), and snacks that champion flavorful exploration. Swalty's complexity and balance ticks all of these boxes.
The rise of TikTok makes innovative at-home cooking more accessible than ever. As Shannon O'Shields (vice president of marketing at Rubix Foods) notes in the Rubix report, "On top of...being exposed to diverse tastes, [Gen Z] are the generation most excited to try new food [and] beverage items and are quick to share what they love with social media."
As 2025 rolls in, foodies of all generations should be on the lookout for swalty snacks to continue their takeover. These complex confections can range from dessert-forward chocolate-covered pretzels, salted caramel sauce, tahini cookies, peanut M&Ms, blue cheese baklava, and miso-infused baked goods to more savory offerings like funnel cake French fries, bacon jam, salted maple granola parfaits, apple grilled cheese sandwiches, doughnut burgers, prosciutto-wrapped melon, Chicago-style cheese-caramel popcorn, and more innovative combos yet to be created.