The curries of Pokémon Sword and Shield have given way to Poffins in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Like curries, using different berries will give your Poffins different flavors. But since BDSP’s Pokémon have distinct preferences, getting your flavors right could go the extra mile to deepen your bonds with your party. And if you want to make big batches of four Poffins, some experimentation is necessary — but there’s a method to the madness.
Poffins have five baseline flavors: Spicy, Dry, Sweet, Bitter, and Sour. Some Pokémon will “eat anything,” but if your Pokémon has a preference listed under “favorite food” in their summary, it will correspond to only one of these flavors. This means you have to choose your berries carefully.
When you make Poffins, press Y to view a berry’s stats before you choose to cook with it. You’ll see a flavor profile that will correspond to the stat changes they’ll confer upon your Pokémon. Some berries — like Rawst, Aspear, Wiki, and Mago — correspond to a strong spike in one specific stat. Others, like Razz and Bluk berries, will have a milder effect on two or three stats.
Do not put two of the same berry in your recipe — you’ll end up with a Foul Poffin. Fortunately, there are multiple berries that confer the same stat spike. For example, Aguav and Rawst berries both target bitterness. However, you’ll only make as many Poffins as berries you use, so if you want a batch of four, pick two different berries which exhibit that milder bitterness spike, like Sitrus and Nanab berries.
Sometimes, this approach will net you a hybrid Poffin, like a Sour-Sweet Poffin or a Dry-Spicy Poffin. The flavor listed first will be the prominent flavor. You’ll know you’ve hit your Pokémon favorite food if they “happily” eat a Poffin. But a Pokémon who likes Spicy food will not “happily” eat a Dry-Spicy Poffin. They’ll still eat it and still gain the benefits, but you won’t get that extra friendship bump.
