npr: Back in the 1800s, sour and sweet were a hot item....

npr:

Back in the 1800s, sour and sweet were a hot item. Americans drank shrubs and switchels — refreshing mixes of vinegar, water, spices lightly sweetened with honey, sugar or molasses. Southern households preserved their fruits in vinegar. And some of the nation’s most popular berries were tangy — like the famed Klondike strawberry and tart cherries that came in eight different varieties. But by the middle of the 20th century, these tart-sweet delights had all but vanished.

It has taken a long time, but sour is returning — in switchels, tangy Greek yogurt, whey beverages, fruit vinegar and sour beers. Why? It seems we’re finally rebelling against the sugar that now saturates us. But that’s not all — our palates are growing more sophisticated, thanks to globalization, and we’ve rediscovered the health benefits of fermented foods.

Power Of Sour: How Tart Is Reclaiming Turf From Sweet

Photo: Jonathan McIntosh/Flickr

I’ve always loved sour things…

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