Most of us have done some version of this: It’s midday, and we’re hungry but only have one peach yogurt and a packet of chocolate cocoa powder. We wonder, “Hmm, how would this taste together?” We go for it and find that the creamy mixture tastes like a delicious Southern peach cobbler. And just like that, we’ve created a simple shortcut to a recipe.
One woman took the food experimentation further. Inspired by U.K.-based TikToker and Instagrammer Eat with GG (@ggflavour), influencer Social Sami (@socialsami) decided to take a flavor-combo challenge. The idea is that if you mix certain flavors, they’ll taste like an entirely different food or drink.
Social Sami’s Instagram reel begins with her sitting in front of a big, white plate of food, each piece separated from the other. The on-screen text reads, “Trying weird food combos,” as she explained, “I thought we could try these weird food combinations together that are supposed to taste like other food.”
Banana and avocado
“First up,” she continued, “is banana and avocado, and that should taste like ice cream.” She used a large fork to combine the two ingredients before tasting them. She wasn’t greatly impressed but understood how it should taste. “I could see it,” she said.
Lemon and cucumber
Sami then held up a thinly sliced cucumber with a lemon wedge on top and explained, “Lemon and cucumber should taste like lime.” She chewed on it, then immediately made a sour face and remarked, “That’s a lime!”
Cucumber and sugar
The cucumber got another pairing, this time with sugar. She remarked, “Cucumber with sugar should also taste like watermelon?” She tried it, smiled, and commented, “That’s kind of crazy!”
Sugar and tomato
She showed a tomato with a generous sprinkling of sugar and said, “Tomato plus sugar should taste like a strawberry.” She tried it, and after a few chews she announced, “I don’t know how that worked…tasted strawberry!”
Tomato and salted chips
Next came a chip-and-tomato sandwich. Taking two salty, rigid potato chips and placing a tomato in between, Sami explained that this “should taste like pizza.” She claimed that GG Flavour said this was the most obvious one and agreed, “Yeah, she’s right.”
Lemon and cinnamon
A slice of lemon with a dash of cinnamon was next. She said, “This is supposed to taste like Coca-Cola.” She gave it a try and nodded. “Yeah! That’s crazy!”
Melon and banana
Then she told the viewer, “Melon and banana should taste like bubble gum.” She tried it and was once again incredibly impressed. “It really tastes like bubble gum. Like how?!” she exclaimed.
Sami’s clip has over 3 million likes and 20,000 comments. Many were simply amazed at the accuracy.
Molecular structure of food
One food chemist got into the nitty-gritty in the comments: “Food chemist here! This happens because our taste buds only technically can recognize 13 distinct base flavors, plus combinations from each of those 13 profiles. What you think of when you think of ‘strawberry’ flavor is actually T-14 (sugar) and T-9 (most prevalent profile in tomatoes). Once you start learning which taste comes from which molecular structure, you can make almost any flavor from the same 13 base ingredients!”
That comment alone received over 70,000 likes. When looking at the compounds inside sugar, it’s worth noting that the formula is some variation of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Also, there’s a distinction between flavor profiles and “taste buds,” which register five taste sensations: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory (umami).
Some commenters made lighthearted jokes. One popular comment was, “If you take a lime and a shot of tequila with a pinch of salt, it’s gonna taste like regrets.”
Just chemicals
When you stop and think about it, food stripped to its core (like everything else) is just made of chemicals. Elements from the periodic table appear in all our favorite foods and form the building blocks of everything we taste, even before introducing additives. The FDA’s website explains, “All food contains chemicals because macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber are made of chemical compounds.” They include examples such as calcium in milk and potassium in bananas.
So if you’re down to experiment and really craving something delicious, don’t be afraid to mix random food items and spices to see what flavors you discover. Surely not every combination will be a winner, but it should be fun trying!
