What can be added to a dish that is too sour?

Adding sweetness to a dish that is too sour is a common culinary technique used to create balance in flavors. Sourness and sweetness are opposing tastes on the palate, and counteracting one with the other can help achieve a more harmonious overall flavor profile. Sweet ingredients, such as sugar, honey, or sweet fruits, can help mask excess acidity and make the dish more palatable without overwhelming it.

In culinary practices, these adjustments are often made intuitively, depending on the specific ingredients and the dish being prepared. For instance, in a vinaigrette that is overly tangy, a small amount of honey can round out the flavors effectively. Sweetness not only balances sourness but can also enhance other flavors present in the dish.

While salt and bitter herbs can alter the flavor profile, they do not directly counteract sourness the way sweetness does. Salt can enhance all flavors but does not specifically mitigate acidity, and while bitter herbs may introduce another layer of complexity, they do not diminish the sourness either. Acid would only compound the problem of sourness rather than resolve it.