Birds of a feather flock together? Not so with food pairing, because here it is all about combining opposing flavors. Whether shrimps with cinnamon and vanilla, caviar with white chocolate or eggplants with pomegranate – what at first sounds like an idea of crazy chefs is actually a matter of chemistry and an excellent surprise for the taste buds. Food pairing knows how to combine contrasting tastes and flavors in such a way as to create new, yet harmonious, culinary compositions.
How does food pairing work?
The trend is based on scientific findings: While the tongue can only perceive the five tastes salty, sweet, bitter, sour and umami (spicy), the nose is able to distinguish up to 10,000 flavors. Thus, the majority of the taste sensation is based on smell.
Food pairing draws from this enormous wealth and analyzes the different flavors of various foods at the molecular level. The more flavor parallels can be identified between two foods, the better the ingredients will harmonize with each other in a dish.
Food pairing in gastronomy
If you want to offer your guests special taste sensations using balanced flavors, food pairing is just the thing for you. Apart from classics like tomato with basil, matie with onions and apples, or cucumbers with dill, there are numerous unusual ideas for combining ingredients in an interesting way in one dish. We present five food pairing recipes that are easy to prepare and will satisfy any discerning palate with their extravagant combinations.
1. Eggplant with soft goat cheese and pomegranate
Cut the eggplants into thin slices and spread them thinly with soft goat cheese. Next, chop shallots and chives and sprinkle them over the eggplant slices along with pomegranate seeds. Heat everything in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. A delicious vegetarian appetizer is ready.
2. Mozzarella with mango and walnuts
This dish can be served as a fresh starter or as a snack in between meals during the summer. To prepare, slice the mango and the mozzarella and spread them on a plate in turns. Chop a few walnuts, sprinkle them over the plate and season everything with a few drops of olive oil, salt and pepper as well as fresh coriander leaves.
3. Shrimp with vanilla and cinnamon
Fry the shrimps with a little garlic and chili in vegetable oil until cooked. Then season them with salt and pepper and add a pinch of cinnamon and the pulp of a vanilla pod. This food pairing recipe can be perfectly combined with pasta for a main dish – extraordinary taste sensation guaranteed!
4. Steak with popcorn
This food pairing combination sounds unusual at first glance, but it will definitely become a highlight on your menu. To prepare, cut a beef steak into slices two to three centimeters thick, sear them on both sides and then cook them in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. During this time, melt 50 grams of sugar in a pan, deglaze it with cream, bring everything to a boil briefly and simmer. Now prepare popcorn in a pot with hot oil. Arrange everything on a plate – for an extra touch of flavor, you can also prepare a herb curd.
5. Chocolate mousse with onions
Finally, a dessert should not be missing. This food pairing dessert is something for the bold and sounds a bit unusual at first, but tastes truly heavenly. Prepare a chocolate mousse according to the recipe of your choice. Then fry finely chopped onions in a pan, adding a little neutral oil; let them cool briefly and add them to the chocolate mousse.
