Unexpected Taste Combinations

Oct 4, 2025 by Chef David

By Chef David

Sometimes just thinking about food can make your mouth water with anticipation. Our tongues sense five tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami). Some combinations like “swicy” sweet and spicy go very well together, creating a contrasting taste profile that excites the palate, and checks multiple boxes on your tongue. Sweet has a pleasurable effect, while spicy, though not technically a taste that our tongue receptors sense, is more of a physical feeling. Combining the two by layering flavors excites the imagination, reimagine pairings for delicious results.

While traditional flavors are comforting and nostalgic, breaking away from established flavor profiles can create exotic combinations challenging your taste buds, and adding a sense of adventure.

Try combining tastes that might not seem traditional. These unexpected pairings can create a delightful contrast that captivates the senses, creating a taste experience that is both memorable and pleasurable. We found some unexpected taste combinations which we hope will tickle your palate: Tajín (Alef Alef certification from the Sephardic Community in Mexico), and Fruit Riot, certified by the OU, both create an unexpected flavor profile using fruit.

Tajin

Tajín is a classic seasoning, made in Mexico, a simple blend of mild chili peppers, lime, and sea salt, that has been sold since 1985. Its taste combines sweet, spicy, and salty into a variety of pareve seasonings. Its ingredients are ground dried chile peppers (a blend of chiles de árbol, guajillo, and pasilla), dehydrated lime, and sea salt.

Tajín started out as a seasoning to enhance fresh fruit and vegetables like mango, pineapple, melon, and cucumber. Tajin is a mild citrus-forward spice with a Mexican-based taste profile.

Tajin has a variety of flavor profiles and rates the level of heat from 1 – 4:

• Original Clasico (white cover) salt-like grains, a mild with lime, with a mild warmth that’s also salty and citrusy – 190 mg of sodium in 1 gram (mild)
• Fruity Chamoy Sauce (yellow cover) is a liquid fruity hot sauce with a fruity kick – 120 mg of sodium per teaspoon (mild)
• Habanero (yellow cover) has a salt-like in appearance which packs a punch – 170 mg in 1 gram (3 heat)
• Reduced Salt Clasico (blue cover) – 120 mg of sodium in 1 gram (mild)
• Chili Lime (bright red cover) is a liquid made to be poured -110 mg of sodium per teaspoon (2 heat)

Don’t like spicy? Just a little sprinkle can add to flavor without an unpleasant, unexpected burn. Our tasters enjoyed pineapple and mango slices with Tajin sprinkled on them. Note: Tajin spices have a high sodium content.

You can sprinkle Tajin on just about anything. Punch up the flavor profile of meat, chicken, fish, fruits or vegetables.

Fruit Riot

Fruit Riot is frozen fruit in a sour candy, which is certified by the OU. (Their older packares are marked OU-D, while newer products are OU) Fruit Riot is made from freshly frozen fruit splashed with lemon juice in a sour candy coating. Though it is frozen, the fruit is soft and easy to chew. Fruit Riot can be found in the frozen food section of select stores.

The coating is made of sugar, citric acid, malic acid, lemon juice, modified food starch, and coconut oil. Their colors are natural, made from fruit and vegetable juices, spirulina, and turmeric. There are 45 calories per 5 – 7 piece serving, with approximately 8 servings per 8-ounce bag.

Fruit Riot are cold, sour fruit-candies, each variety with a distinctive profile.

• Sour Mango Mix is coated with strawberry and peach flavored candy, presenting as pink colored mango chunks. The candy coating gives the fruit a fun crunch. Our tasters felt that the sour was nicely balanced by the sweet.
• Sour Grapes contains large and plump red and green grapes with a candy coating that makes them appear as if they were covered in crystals. Sour grape was as advertised, pucker-up flavor covering a sweet grape.
• Sour Grapes Mix contains berry, lemon lime, and green apple flavor profiles, each in its recognizable colors. The mixed berry was sweet and sour, while the colored green apple offered a pleasant tartness. We felt that the lemon was a bit too sour but enjoyed the rest.

Note: Fruit Riot should be kept frozen, once it thaws, it won’t re-freeze correctly.

Fruit Riot is designed for sour candy fans. We found it an interesting novelty candy. We plan to serve it at our Sukkah.

Exotic Twist on Fruit

Tajin and Fruit Riot provide a new spin on traditional fruit flavors. These offerings complement the trend toward experimentation with different tastes. Tajin imbues its spice with a citrus overtone, a profile that makes it work for meats and sweet fruits. Fruit Riot creates a natural sour candy, adding a coating to fresh frozen fruits.

They do extend the flavor profiles from traditional to exotic introducing enticing taste combinations.