Planters' New Offering Is Both Spicy And Sweet

You don't have to subscribe to the Biblical teachings of Ecclesiastes to recognize that there is, indeed, nothing new under the sun. This is true especially if you happen to pay attention to food flavor trends. Umami, for example, has never not been a fundamental taste sought out by humans, according to a 2015 paper published in the academic journal "Flavour." Yet umami was not identified as an individual taste until the early 20th century, and it wasn't classified as "an inherent taste universally enjoyed" until 2002, per Ajinomoto Group. Nowadays, the term "umami" is well-known, with fermented foods and hot and spicy sauces that marry umami with hints of sweet and tangy rising in popularity in recent years.

Unfortunately, the makers of sweet and spicy sauces are not immune from current supply chain snafus, with the upshot being that Sriracha, among other sweet and spicy sauces, may be in limited supply for now. However, in what appears to be a well-timed effort to meet a growing hunger for all that is both sweet and spicy — i.e., "swicy" — Planters Peanuts appears to be addressing that potential breach with a new sweet and spicy dry roasted peanuts flavor, per a press release.

According to a press release from Hormel, Planters has just released a brand new product: dry roasted "Sweet & Spicy" peanuts. It's the first "innovation" Planters has introduced since Hormel acquired the brand in June 2021. Second, and perhaps more important for foodies, this new product is fully intended to address a growing hunger for foods that are, at once, both sweet and spicy. 

Of course, sweet and spicy isn't a new concept; in fact, in our compilation of the best spicy snacks, a good many offer sweetness as a significant counterpoint. However, foodies have only recently assigned a catchy new portmanteau to the juxtaposition of sweet with spicy, according to The New York Times, and now "swicy" seems to have taken on a whole new relevance that stands to earn it a place in the foodie cultural zeitgeist. According to Planters' brand manager, Robbie Koons, the first taste of Planters Sweet & Spicy peanuts delivers the "sweet flavors of honey and sugar," followed by a kick of heat that makes you want to eat another handful. If these new "swicy" peanuts are going to prove as addictive as Koons is suggesting, then it may be a good thing that they're available in 16-ounce bottles at grocery stores nationwide (as well as in smaller snack packs).