If you have ever cooked a home-made tomato sauce only to find it is searingly acidic, you are not alone.
Fortunately, there is an easy fix. Sugar in spaghetti sauce is the secret ingredient that will transform a classic dish like spaghetti or meatballs into absolute perfection.
This clever cooking hack can be used in a variety of home-made pasta sauce recipes, and it is not much different from seasoning with a touch of salt.
But, does sugar go with spaghetti? This is a question that has caused a heated debate among Twitter users.
It was raised by American television personality Steve Harvey.
“Let’s settle this … does sugar belong in spaghetti?” asked Harvey.
Let’s settle this ... does sugar belong in spaghetti?
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) April 14, 2021
Some of tweeps said yes, but many others said that sugar, in general, does not belong in spaghetti.
Here are some reactions:
Some people like their sauce hella sweet. I know quite a few pizza places in the midwest that would do it with their house sauce. I wouldn't be surprised if theres people wild enough they do it as a regular thing on spaghetti.
— yburyug (@yburyug) April 14, 2021
Sugar belongs to Tea and Coffee the other stuff is against God's will🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/49wJHbqhwV
— Bulelani Mpengesi (@Buja3D) April 14, 2021
Do people actually do this? All you need is to cook the spaghetti with a little salt and a drop of olive oil then put it with some mince beef & passata or chopped tomatoes, a bit of garlic, some basil, oregano and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
— Pink Nerd 🇬🇧🇯🇲 (@PinkNerd3) April 14, 2021
I can't lie... I put a pinch of brown sugar in my sauce, but it doesn't make it sweet. It just enhances the flavor. Kinda like putting salt in cookie dough. But sugar, sugar in it at all is a NO for me. My husband, on the other hand, puts sugar in everything 🤦🏾♀️!
— The Bruno Mars Girl (Monica) (@HikingHooligan2) April 14, 2021
Why do people add sugar to their spaghetti sauce?
It is understood that people who put sugar in their spaghetti sauce usually do it because they were taught it cuts the acid in the tomatoes. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they are fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year. Sure, if you are tending to a sauce made from beautifully ripe tomatoes picked in the height of summer, you can skip the sugar.