In English, we often divide foods into two general categories:
- Sweet foods
- Savory foods
Most English learners understand sweet, but savory can be confusing.
Savory describes foods that have a rich, flavorful taste that is not sweet. Savory foods may be salty, spicy, herby, smoky, buttery, cheesy, or meaty. Most foods we eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner are savory.
Examples of savory foods include pizza, pasta, chicken, steak, sandwiches, salad, soup, eggs, and cheese.
Many English learners say, "I like salty food." Sometimes this is correct, but often the better word is savory.
Salty is one type of savory food. For example: pretzels, French fries, bacon, salted popcorn, salted nuts, and potato chips have a strong taste of salt, so they are salty. However, foods like pasta, chicken, rice, vegetables, and pizza are usually described as savory, not salty.
Remember
- Sweet = sugary foods
- Savory = flavorful, but not sweet
- Salty = savory foods with a strong salt taste
So when someone asks, "Do you prefer sweet or savory foods?" they are asking whether you prefer desserts and sugary foods or regular meals and non-sweet foods.