Why is chocolate and salt a perfect match?

The functions of salt in chocolate

Can chocolate taste any better? Perhaps with the addition of salt. Both these ingredients have been prized and praised separately for centuries; however, together, they’re a relatively modern pairing.  

The “pastry Picasso” Pierre Hermé is credited with popularizing this combination and shifting the idea of salt from merely a seasoning to a gourmet ingredient. In the 1990s, he began adding fleur de sel (delicate French sea salt) to chocolate ganache, macarons, and cakes, creating a luxury-tasting experience—and the chocolate connoisseurs haven’t looked back. Learn below why sea salt and chocolate are a memorable match.  

 

Accentuates sweetness 

It may seem illogical at first, but salt actually enhances chocolate’s sweetness even if there isn’t more sugar present. We have taste sensors in our intestines and tongue, but the ones in our intestine can only be activated once salt is added, making it easier and quicker for our body to detect sugar.  

This is also why many dessert recipes call for a “pinch of salt,” and milk chocolate is no different. Of course, you can’t go overboard, but a tiny amount of salt helps bring out the chocolate taste even further and opens up other more subtle flavors.   

 

Balances texture and flavor 

Playing with texture often creates more intriguing chocolate creations, and salt can be a big help with this. When chocolatiers hope to make a textural statement, they’ll choose large salt crystals that are of the finest quality or ones that have unique flavors to help take the chocolate to the next level.  

 

Suppresses bitterness 

Dark chocolate is the most intense of all the chocolates and the least sweet—while its taste can vary, it’s often described as earthy and deep with slight hints of bitterness. When you combine dark chocolate and salt, it balances the natural bitterness of cocoa and creates a new concoction of flavors that’s fun to try.  

How does this happen? Salt is like a wake-up call for our receptors that helps us taste the savory, sweet, and spicy flavors in all food. When it’s added to dark chocolate, you distract your taste receptors from tasting bitterness so strongly because of the wide variety of other flavors that you’re already tasting.  

 

Release chocolate's aroma 

Taste and smell are very much intertwined; when one is heightened, it makes the other more intense as well. So, since salt naturally enriches the complex flavors of chocolate and brings them to life simultaneously, it also awakens its aromas and creates a feast for the nose.  

 

How does salt added to chocolate milk taste?  

A chilled glass of chocolate milk is the perfect way to sweeten up a hot day. It’s a drink we reach for when we’re hoping for something comforting, wholesome, and sweet—so adding salt seems a little absurd, but trust the process. Adding salt to chocolate milk will upgrade its flavor on all levels; you’ll get all the things you always love about it, just even tastier and more sophisticated.  

Obviously, make sure not to exaggerate and sprinkle just a pinch of salt into your beverage for delicious results—a little goes a long way. Otherwise, your taste buds will be overwhelmed with saltiness and almost nothing else; try not to go above 100 milligrams of salt per 250 mL of chocolate milk. We recommend opting for fine-grain salt because it will dissolve swiftly and leave your chocolate milk with a silky-smooth texture.