You can include this one on your mixture of strange food pairings: salt on watermelon. If you want to make watermelon taste sweeter, it’s crucial to ignore sugar and use salt instead. Why? Many people are aware that salt reduces bitterness. Though you may think this strange flavor combo is a failure, we hope you’ll come to try this hack.
The watermelon, particularly those not as ripe or simply lack taste, has a subtle trace of bitterness and acidity hidden beneath all the sweetness. Salty additives resolve the bitterness, making sweetness more prominent and prominent in each bite.
Salting watermelon is also known to improve the texture of the fruit. By sprinkling a little salt on the water-heavy fruit, all the liquid is brought to the surface. Thus, every bite is ensured to be succulent and delicious. Even watermelon slice fans may sprinkle some salt on their slices and then wait a few minutes before starting to eat.
Compared to the fruit Westerners are accustomed to, Japanese fruits are often sweeter. However, it is not the primary reason you may observe Japanese people putting salt on their watermelon.
Why Do Japanese Put Salt on Watermelon?
Watermelon with salt has been a Southern custom for ages. Fruit with salt is not a strictly Southern custom. It’s no secret that watermelon is cherished in Japan, where they’ve also been using salt for generations.
Salt is sprinkled on watermelon in some regions of Japan to heighten the sweetness. In addition to Japan, people worldwide are adding salt to their watermelon—and it tastes lovely? Although it is prevalent, it appears that many people are unaware of this trend. However, it is delicious despite its name.
Three taste elements comprise watermelon: sweet, sour, and bitter. All of them are in the flesh of the fruit. However, the salt actually unlocks the sweetness because the salt lifts the bitterness from the watermelon. This is why a juicy slice of watermelon, when sprinkled with salt, suddenly tastes sweeter.
Japanese summers are sweltering and humid. Because of this, your body desires salt due to the heavy perspiration. It’s tasty and refreshing since the warmth makes you need salt, and the watermelon’s coolness helps.
Japanese watermelons are often iced or chilled, giving them a cold and refreshing treat. However, the low temperature does diminish the flavor somewhat. Because of this, salt comes to the rescue to provide some additional taste.
Is Salt on Watermelon Bad for You?
Indeed, salting your freshly sliced watermelon can improve its overall flavor and texture. But just like any food product, and an excessive amount of salt can be life-threatening. The effects of overusing salt vary widely. The brief rise in blood pressure will be accompanied by acute thirst and bloating.
Eating excessive amounts of salt over time can develop heart disease, stomach cancer, and an increased likelihood of dying prematurely. Hypernatremia, which can result in death if left untreated, may develop in more severe cases.
While it can be sound scary, salt can still be helpful as long as it is taken into the right amount. Do you know that if you sweat, your body will need sodium? Mother Nature is flagging you down so that you remember to rehydrate. That luscious, gently salted watermelon, bursting with electrolytes, replenishes your body with nutrition every time you take a bite.
High salt intake may impact some persons more severely than others. Drinking more water, eating potassium-rich foods, and cutting back on salt intake at other meals will help make up for a high-sodium dinner.
If you’re still concerned about high salt levels, you may receive the same benefits from a zing of citrus in your water by squeezing fresh lemon or lime juice. Also, I bet you didn’t know that cucumber balances out watermelon. Compared to watermelon, which is naturally bitter, the unsweet cucumber can be described as the opposite. This technique helps bring out the sweetness of the watermelon.
Is Putting Salt on Fruit Bad?
Salt is a flavor that has to be acquired, and you’ll gradually increase your taste for it over time. However, the long-term consumption of too much salt may be linked to some severe health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and renal disease. A connection has also been drawn between salt and high blood pressure.
The act of making use of less salt might sound like a good idea, but we have an alternative – spices and herbs can make meals more savory without the health hazards. Restricting salt intake is just one aspect of a healthy diet. Monitoring the quantity of salt you use is a bright idea because most individuals consume more than their bodies need.
Flaky or chunky salt provides both flavor and a tactile sensation to the combination. As a result, it is unnecessary to use a heavy hand. Instead, a pinch of fresh fruit would do the trick. To add some spice, add chili powder or smoky paprika to the salt, or add a squirt of lime or some apple cider vinegar if you’re feeling frisky.
Salting your fruits will show off the many fruit flavors and emphasize the sweetness, all of which will be like Woah. When you started listening to your favorite music, someone came along and added harmony.
As you’ve concluded that the only way to eat watermelon this summer is to salt it, you may like to learn how to do it properly. However, regardless of whether you choose regular salt or spice, you can be confident that plain watermelon will never taste good again.
- Sprinkle some coarse salt or flake salt on your slice, and you will savor the advantages. In addition, you can gradually increase the amount of salt you use to taste.
- Table salt works, but flake salt creates a more diverse array of flavors.
- Are you looking to mix things up? Consider adding a little flavor to your watermelon salads, summer barbeques, and picnics with watermelon-flavored salt.
- If you want to test several salt flavors without considerable investment, flavored salt samplers are a great option.
