I think in general, sugar has taken over the flavors in many foods--perhaps as a result of the decades of emphasis on "fat" as the "boogy man" bad actor for health--with sugar (and in some cases, salt) replacing for flavor. Might this be reflected--even when applied to Asian foods for American palates... Probably, yes.

Anyone who has undertaken a low or moderately lowered carb diet will agree with you.. the amount of "sweet" in the American diet is both addictive and over the top. Ditto the amount of salt. Once you've eaten that way for awhile, it is hard to break, though.


You mention Italian heritage... I would note that though you undoubtedly grew up with home-made marinara and other tomato sauces, most of us had only the canned and bottled varieties from the grocery store. Ever tried to find a marinara, a pasta sauce, or even just basic tomato sauce (or paste) that contains NO added sugar? Damned hard to find...

Yup.. sugar in everything...

The sauce is too sweet. I know sometimes it can just depend upon the tomatoes but most likely it's added sugar.

That is why I make things from scratch and generally don't use packaged sauces.

Sweet Italian sausage has always been famous here in the northeast on a sub roll with grilled peppers and onions. Hotties are good too, but sweets are preferred on the aforementioned sammich.

It's supposed to be spicy.

Compared to other sausage, and their flavor choice was excellent then it just disappeared from my stores.

TlalocW

the contrast is with 'hot.' But maybe it's the brand. Used to get a 'sweet' Ital Sausage for a recipe, don't know what happened to the brand, noticed 'Premio' just doesn't have the good flavor I remember so I don't make that recipe now. (Fortunately my 'kids' have grown, so I have no need to do dinners regularly at home.)

My family are norcini for 200 years. We make sausages, proscuitti, and cotechini. I can assure you, authentic sweet sausage has an allusion of sweetness due to the spices, but there is no sugar added.

and not mask the flavor behind spices that are too hot. My very first job in high school was at the local butcher shop (Antonio's) hand grinding the sausage meat into the intestines and tying off the links.

I just showed the Premio photo as an example. Luckily, we still have a few family owned stores around to buy fresh locally homemade sausages, meatballs, ravioli, tortellini, etc., probably much like your family runs. Unfortunately, I never got good recipes from Nana, it was always a little bit of this, a dash or pinch of that, never a cup/gallon etc to make it easier.

It is Italian for "when enough" and it is every Nonna's secret way of ensuring no one can quite duplicate her cooking.

Just over the top sweet. Honey is Asia is very delicate and mild. It is not as sweet as clover honey

Sweetness has its place, which is not every place.

Commercial food tends to pick up on best-selling trends and carry them to the extreme, so that they become hard to avoid.

Spaghetti sauce. They said it was to offset the tomatoes’ acid.

Ever heard of Japanese Teriyaki? China's Beijing Duck? General Tsao's chicken? Orange crispy beef? Polynesian braised pork? Thai red curry?

If someone puts too much sugar into their BBQ glaze, they're doing both themselves and their meal disservice, but there are other cultures that use substantial amounts of sweeteners to season their meat or fish. I prefer Cajun blackened, Spicy chicken in black bean, or Tandoori, myself, but I don't mind a well-made Beijing duck if the hoi-sin isn't too sweet or some Jardine's on my chickes if it's got the right kick to it.

It's just a question of going overboard, which, admittedly, seems to be a national trait of ours.

I even know people who put sugar in their marinara sauce - ugh! I am half Italian on my father's side and his family never put sugar in tomato sauce. They did add a bit of parmesan or romano cheese however and that is how I make it.

I much prefer savory foods to sweet things.

You do not need sugar. We are from the north so our sauce is olive oil, garlic, peperoncino, and tomatoes