Food pairing and chemistry

The FOODPAIRING blog has a post about tea and tea pairing. Take a look at what they propose: http://blog.foodpairing.com/.

The people behind Food Pairing have developed a huge database of the chemicals present in different foods. Their approach to pairing depends on matching foods with similar chemical compositions. This  approach yields some unanticipated and interesting combinations, many of which are successful. 

However chemical composition does not always tell you about how a food or a beverage actually tastes. For example, thyme and oregano have essentially the same chemical composition, but in different proportions. Consequently, the flavors you get when you taste each these separately—and especially when you eat first one, and then the other, and then later reverse the order—will be strikingly different.

Here’s what an Italian friend of Pairteas, Maurizio, said when he conducted an experiment of tasting thyme alone, then thyme together with oregano:

"With pleasure, I made the experiment you suggested. I used dried thyme and oregano.Tasting thyme I found a strong terpenic character with a bitter nuance on the tongue… I had some dryness in the mouth.Tasting thyme with oregano I had a different experience. The aroma was less intense but more complex ( floral, good vegetable). In the mouth I didn't find a strong, dominant note: there was a fresh character, refreshing, pleasant and persistent. Evident in the mouth many minutes after eliminating aromatic herbs."

The next day, he tasted these herbs in reverse order:

"I started with oregano: less intense aroma but less intrusive than thyme. After a while I had burning and metallic sensations on the tongue, but not bitter.Tasting thyme with oregano appear dryness and bitterness. There is a fresh character but secondary to those of thyme [and oregano the day before]."

Finally, I asked him to combine thyme and basil, which (unlike thyme and oregano) don’t share the same dominant chemicals:

"I used fresh basil and dried thyme. With basil disappear bitter and dryness. I found intense and persistent sweet and refreshing notes."

You may notice that these herb combinations are familiar—they are commonly used in Italian food, but are used quite differently. Thyme and oregano are to be found in tomato sauces that are cooked for a long time, so their chemistry changes still further. By contrast, basil is used quite fresh, and when combined with thyme for tomato sauces, these sauces are cooked very quickly.

In my next post, I will discuss what is happening here. In the meanwhile, try these experiments and let me know what your take on them is. Can’t wait to hear from you!