The Science of Flavor: Understanding Food Pairings

From burgers and beer to white wine and lobster, there’s one key reason why certain foods and beverages pair so well together:

Science.

Experts in the food and beverage industry use both intuition and scientific data to create incredible contrasting and complementary food and beverage pairings, and it’s something you can learn to do too.

Here’s a look into the science behind food pairings that will give you a greater appreciation for and a better understanding of which drink to pair with which dish.

The Two Types of Food and Beverage Pairings

There are two main types of food and beverage pairings:

• Contrasting pairings
• Complementary pairings

Contrasting pairings refer to combinations of tastes and flavors that counterbalance each other. For example, combining salty with sweet or sweet with sour. Complementary pairings, also called congruent pairings, combine similar tastes, such as sweet with sweet.

Before you can create a contrasting or complementary pairing, you must understand the differences between aroma, taste, and flavor and how they all work together.

Understanding Aroma, Taste, and Flavor

How a particular food or beverage smells has more of an impact on flavor than you may think. Scientific research tells us that as much as 80% of how we experience flavor is determined by our sense of smell. How food tastes only accounts for about 20% of the experience.

One of the reasons why aroma plays such an important role in how we experience foods and beverages is because we experience it when we inhale and when we exhale. The key to creating a great pairing is to choose complementary aromas.

Taste vs Flavor

Though many people use the words interchangeably, taste and flavor are two different things.

Taste is defined by the five basic tastes that the tongue’s taste buds can sense: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Contrasting tastes add complexity to pairings while complementing tastes amplifies the same flavor. Both pairing methods create a sense of balance in the mouth.

Flavor is the brain’s perception of how aroma, taste, and mouthfeel combine. Mouthfeel is the texture of the food or drink in the mouth, characterized by terms such as crunchy, chewy, or slimy.

To create great food and beverage pairings, either complementary or contrasting, you must take aroma, taste, and flavor all into account.

Pairing Wine with Food

When pairing food with wine, the levels of acidity, bitterness, richness, and sweetness in the wine and in the food are key factors. Red wines tend to be more bitter, while white and rose wines have more acidity.

There are some general rules of thumb to keep in mind when pairing food and wine. For example, the wine should have more acidity and more sweetness than the food. Red wines pair best with meat and usually create congruent pairings. White wines pair best with lighter dishes, like fish and chicken, and usually create contrasting pairings.

Pairing Spirits with Food

Many people create food and spirit pairings based on cuisine. While we love drinking sake with Japanese food and tequila with Mexican dishes, the science behind pairings tells us that there are endless options to explore!

The trick to pairing complementary or contrasting food and spirits is to match the weight and intensity of both.

Heavier spirits, like bourbon and extra añejo tequila, pair best with rich dishes such as grilled steaks, chocolate, and baked apple pies. Lighter spirits, like blanco tequila and gin, pair beautifully with lighter dishes such as sushi, ceviche, shrimp, and savory cheeses. Check out Cierto’s guide on tequila food pairings to discover more unique food and tequila combinations.

Pairing Beer with Food

Whether you love a dark stout, an IPA, or a light lager, there’s a beer to pair with every dish, especially at restaurants serving authentic italian food brisbane. Like wine and spirits, beer and food pairings can be complementary or contrasting.

For a hands-on approach to understanding food pairings, why not start with a pizza night? Pairing craft beers or wines with your favorite pizza toppings can be a delicious way to explore complementary and contrasting flavors. If you’re looking for high-quality dough and ingredients to perfect your creations, check out prepapizza.com for a range of pizza-making essentials that will elevate your culinary experiments.

Here are some beer and food pairings that work perfectly together:

• Light lagers: pair with buffalo wings and spicy foods
• IPAs: pair with barbecue and Mexican foods
• Amber ales: pair with pizza and fried dishes
• Stouts: pair with shellfish and chocolate

Discover more incredible food and beer combos in this Beer & Food Pairing Guide.

In Conclusion

Science is the backbone of every food and beverage pairing, but it also takes intuition and a deep understanding of tastes, aromas, and flavors to create combinations that truly impress.

The next time you order a drink and a meal at a restaurant or host a dinner party for friends, try your hand at contrasting or complementing your favorite drink with a new dish or your favorite snack with a new beverage. The more you sample different pairings, the easier it will be to identify which ones work and which ones don’t.