If you’ve ever found yourself halfway through a pack of salted caramel popcorn with zero interest in stopping anytime soon, then you’re definitely not alone.
And the good news? It’s probably not your willpower’s fault either, because there’s a scientific reason why we’re all so addicted to the taste of salted caramel.
That’s according to Oxford University scientist Cammy Crolic, associate professor of marketing at Said Business School, who has conduced seven studies to explain why some foods are practically impossible to resist.
Speaking to The Times, Crolic revealed that salted caramel is a food that provokes what she calls ‘hedonic escalation’, meaning that its complex mix of flavours makes people want to keep eating it, even when they’re full…
‘In recent years there has been an explosion of salted caramel — I have seen it in pretzels, chips, crisps and other savoury foods,’ said Crolic.
‘With most foods, because our bodies are designed to seek different nutrients, we get bored of one food and seek others.
‘With foods like salted caramel, however, the reverse happens. That first taste is OK, but with each taste or sip we find more to enjoy. Each additional bite gives us a chance to learn something new so our enthusiasm for it escalates.’
As for why salted caramel seems to provoke such a response, Crolic reckons it’s down to the food’s unique combination of saltiness, sweetness and fat.
‘The food engineers and scientists know that when you put salty and sweet and fatty flavours into food you are going to get a winner,’ she added.
