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Will the word sour in "sweet and sour" dish give negative connotation? In Chinese we actually say "sweet and vinegary" dish ('糖醋' as '醋' is vinegar). Check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_and_sour, to quote

The etymology of the term "Sweet and Sour" comes from the Chinese word "甜酸"(甜 = sweet, 酸 = sour), formally used in Chinese dishes as "糖醋“ (糖 = sugar, 醋 = vinegar). It is commonly used in China since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) ...

When I look the word "sour" up in dictionary, it seems that except for "sweet and sour", all the other meanings all give out some unpleasant feeling, which makes me feel "sweet and sour" seem not be a good translation, e.g. why not "sweet and vinegary" ?

But is it the case? As English is not my native language, I am not sure the nuances of these two.

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    Per Collins, Sweet and sour is used to describe Chinese food that contains both a sweet flavour and something sharp or sour such as lemon or vinegar. I don't think it carries ang negative connotation whatever.
    – user405662
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 8:45
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    Vinegar potentially has negative connotations, as the result of wine going bad, and there are phrases like "vinegar tits" and "piss and vinegar" which is vulgar even if not insulting. I'm not sure what the question is getting at though, do you want to change the common phrase "sweet and sour" or are you asking how it became popular?
    – Stuart F
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 10:58
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    'Sweet and sour' is a fixed phrase and carries negligible if any pejorative connotation for anyone not disliking the dish. 'Sweet and vinegary' would carry far more.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 11:20
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    I think that between us we have answered your question. There is nothing negative in the expression sweet and sour, even though in some food contexts sour can imply a disagreeable flavour or spoiled food.
    – Kate Bunting
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 11:53
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    I'm surprised it hasn't been spelled out explicitly, but "sweet and sour" is specifically idiomatically used for a specific type of dish common in the Westernized menus of Chinese restaurants, usually chicken, breaded, deep fried, and served in a sticky orange "sweet and sour" sauce. There is also "hot and sour" soup. These set phrases are expected and would not be off-putting, though you're also right that, especially outside of the context of food, "sour" is often negative (a "sour" person, a "sour" musical note...).
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 20:38

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As others have stated, sour doesn't always carry a negative connotation for food, though it can, sour cream is fine, sour milk not so much.

However, in terms of describing dishes as 'sweet and sour' a menu would not describe something as sour it it was not supposed to be. Context is everything.

In addition, 'sweet and sour' has an appealing degree of alliteration, and has become a set term in English.

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  • In 'sour milk', there is a negative denotation (Collins: 'Something that is sour has a sharp, unpleasant taste like the taste of a lemon.' The question is whether/to what degree this carries across as a connotation to the expression 'sweet and sour'. // I think an 'answer' needs supporting evidence, though I've just realised that the answer to this question really boils down to opinion.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 16:54
  • @EdwinAshworth IMO the main issue between "sour milk" and "sour cream" is one is perceived as spoiled, and the other as intentional. Aside from milk, I can't think of a similar usage of "sour" for spoilage (aside from maybe: wet laundry that has mildewed can be said to have "soured").
    – Andy Bonner
    Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 20:41
  • @EdwinAshworth - Maybe "sweet and sour chicken" isn't as common in the UK as it is in the US. Here it's as common as I think "fish and chips" is in the UK.
    – aparente001
    Commented Dec 7, 2021 at 6:43
  • @aparente001 " 'Sweet and sour' is a fixed phrase and carries negligible if any pejorative connotation ..." is what I commented 19 hours before your comment above. 'Sweet and sour chicken / king prawn ...' are very common (in fact perhaps becoming less so than 50 years ago) in the UK. //// My comment here is to address the confusion that << "sour milk [is not fine]" ↔ [negative connotation] >>, where the association ↔ is not specified, may well cause. 'Sour' in 'sour milk' doesn't have a negative connotation; it really is negative. But does this taint the usage in 'sweet and sour'?
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Dec 7, 2021 at 9:55
  • @EdwinAshworth The British English definintion at your Collins link reads 'having or denoting a sharp biting taste like that of lemon juice or vinegar', it does not include the assumption that such a taste is unpleasant, so I'm comfortable with connotation being appropriate.
    – Spagirl
    Commented Dec 7, 2021 at 11:03
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The four traditional tastes (sweet, sour, salt, and bitter) are often used by analogy to describe personality.

But the negative aspect of a “sour” personality doesn’t apply to food. A sour taste comes from primarily from acids, like the citrus acid in lemon. So “sweet and sour” is an entirely correct and standard description of some dishes.

Besides the four traditional tastes, umami (savory) is now identified as a taste, and astringency and others are under consideration. “Taste” doesn’t include the contribution the senses of smell and touch make to the appreciation of food.

See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste.

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