California ? Here are three little words that might give the staunchest snacker pause: Chocolate-covered bacon.

It sounds so wrong. But it tastes just right, says Joseph Marini III, a fourth-generation candy maker who is selling the bacon bonbons at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk seaside amusement park.

“It’s not just for breakfast any more,” he says with a grin.

And this isn’t just a wacky West Coast thing.

This year, Famous Dave’s at the Minnesota State Fair is rolling out Pig Lickers – dark chocolate-covered bacon pieces sprinkled with sea salt.

“It’s just like the most bizarre combination,” says fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette. “I actually really liked it. It was a good combination of sweet and salty.”

The urge to create new flavor profiles is a natural for a field driven by creativity, says Karen Page, co-author with Andrew Dornenburg of the forthcoming “The Flavor Bible,” a sort of field guide to flavor pairings.