Sweet or spicy?: Pune witnesses the rise of ‘swicy’ dishes

4 min readPuneJul 25, 2026 06:45 PM IST From hot honey drizzled over pizzas and mango-coated chicken wings to Korean rice cakes in fiery sauces, chefs are increasingly pairing sweetness with spice to create bold, layered flavours. (Express photo)Written by Shrijita AcharyyaSweet meets spicy. That’s the idea behind “swicy”, a flavour combination that has emerged as one of the biggest food trends on social media. From hot honey drizzled over pizzas and mango-coated chicken wings to Korean rice cakes in fiery sauces, chefs are increasingly pairing sweetness with spice to create bold, layered flavours. The trend has made its way onto restaurant menus in Pune as well. While the term “swicy” may be new, chefs and diners say the flavour pairing itself has existed for years, with Indian cuisines l