By Aillinn Brennan • Special to The Current
What tastes good versus “REALLY GOOD!” has a lot to do with a harmonious interaction of food and drink on the palate. Understanding a few simple concepts can explain why you love what you love, and take your eating and drinking experience to the next level.
There are five basic flavors we enjoy; sweet, sour, bitter, salt, and Umami (savory). Other important elements are spice or capsicum, and fat from proteins. Effervescence, the bubbles we love in our drinks, have a cleansing and refreshing effect on the palate and are an easy go to food friendly companion.
Take a favorite food drink combo, beer and pizza. Why does it work? An essential component of beer is its bitter hops. The bitterness from the hops balances the richness of the umami and fat laden delicious pizza. The effervescence present in beer efficiently cuts through the fat, cleansing the palate with every sip, preparing to scarf down that next bite! Yum.
The classic pairing of wine and cheese works so well for a number of reasons. The red wine we unconsciously quaff while that pile of our favorite cheese disappears seems a no brainer. Why? Red wine has tannins, which come from the skins of grapes and are extracted from the fruit during the fermentation process. Tannins impart a drying, astringent sensation on the palate. When introducing cheese to these tannins, the tannins adhere to the protein and fat molecules of the cheese. This sticky molecular situation results in the cheese softening the astringent quality of the wine and the wine increasing the richness of the cheese. Voila! A natural eat drink win, win.
Alcohol increases the effect of capsicum in food. The higher the alcohol in a drink the more spicy the food will be burning in your mouth. Sweetness in drink has the opposite effect, and tempers spiciness. If you think serious spice is nice, try pairing, a Kentucky bourbon, like Jack Daniels, with a Five Alarm Chili. You WILL feel the burn!
On the other hand, if you like a little less spice in your life how about an American Hard Cider paired with a Pork and White Bean Chili? The sweetness and lower alcohol content of the cider will temper the spice of this chili, and the sweet apple fruit notes compliment the savory of the pork. And again, that effervesces in the cider will cut through its richness prompting the wash, rinse, repeat effect we are now learning to love! So lets eat drink and be merry knowing what goes with what and why.
Aillinn Brennan is proprietor of The Marion Hose Bar located at 16 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe.
For more visit www.marionhosebar.com
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