Why Are We All Talking About Swicy Food?

You’ve probably heard it said over the last few years – and honestly, if you were annoyed by it, we wouldn’t entirely blame you. We’re talking about “swicy,” everyone’s favorite (or maybe not-so-favorite) new (or new-ish) word. The term has been used utterly rampantly in recent memory by food companies and food journalists alike – sorry about that, folks – and this year, it’s ramped up even more, with swicy energy drinks and swicy candy popping up everywhere. Several food companies have even tried to trademark the term, pointing to its apparent descriptive power (and value).

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But where, oh where, does it come from? Why do we keep using it? And what does it tell us about our tastes? We’re here to break the swicy trend down. 

Can You Just Remind Us Of What “Swicy” Means?

Yes – although you probably know by now. Swicy is a portmanteau of sweet and spicy, and is used to describe foods that have both qualities. The spiciness in question usually refers to heat, as opposed to warmer, more aromatic spices like cinnamon or nutmeg mixed with sugar – although, in theory, those could be described as swicy combos too. If that’s the case, we’ve had swicy things for hundreds of years, but swiciness is generally used to describe the likes of hot honey. 

Where Did It Come From?

Well, speaking of hot honey, that was kind of a breakthrough moment for the term. The exact, specific etymology of “swicy,” and the person who first came up with the term, isn’t entirely clear – but it basically came from TikTok, and started appearing in the early 2020s. Which was, incidentally, the first time that hot honey really broke through to the mainstream, too, and the term’s attribution to the condiment helped it travel pretty far. 

Now, though, we’re seeing foods like swicy lobster rolls and mango habanero popcorn, which have taken the base principles of swiciness (heat + sweet) and pushed it in new directions. It has a lot more ground to travel, we think, before it dies out. 

Why Do We All Want Swicy Foods?

Well, there’s a slightly bigger question there, which is whether we want swicy foods in the first place, or whether food companies have just jumped on this trend and run with it at a million miles an hour. However, there is an undeniable excitement in a mashup of two flavors (and one sensation) that don’t seem to go together at first, but which both augment foods in different ways. There’s also a fairly insatiable hunger for innovative food experiences, and swicy dynamics in a mainstream setting feel like one of the more interesting ones that’s come along in recent years.

Unfortunately for those who utterly hate the sound of this word, swicy seems like it’s here to stay – for now, at least. What’s next? Swour, to describe sweet and sour? Umicy, for umami and spicy? If I see any of these on TikTok, I want royalties!