How to Pair Olive Oil with Food
Once you have tasted olive oil on its own, it is time to start exploring how different olive oils pair with foods. The main thing you need to decide when pairing olive oil with food is whether you want the oil to complement or contrast the food. Complementing the food means that the olive oil does not overtake the dish, instead enhancing the existing flavors of the meat, vegetables or other ingredients. Contrasting the food means that the olive oil’s taste will come to the forefront, competing with the other elements for dominance. You will taste the olive oil very prominently.
Olive oil flavors can be broadly separated into three categories: low intensity (or delicate), medium intensity and robust. Delicate olive oil goes best with fish, chicken, eggs, tender greens and baked recipes where a stronger flavor would overwhelm the dish. Medium intensity olive oil is very versatile and goes well with white meat, salads, vegetables, pastas, dipping bread and more. (Our ALIVE olive oil is an example of a delicate-to-medium olive oil). Robust olive oil has the strongest taste and is best paired with red meat, aged cheese, hearty soups and stews and other spicy dishes that already have a strong taste on their own. Our AWAKE olive oil is a great option if you are looking for a robust olive oil.
Here is how to start experimenting with pairing olive oil to food:
Gather at least three olive oils: a delicate one, a medium intensity one and a robust one. (Our olive oil set is a great place to start.) Follow the tasting steps above to sample them all on their own first so you can establish a baseline before adding food.
Assemble a variety of foods with different flavors to pair with the various olive oils. Make sure that they are not too heavily seasoned so you can get a sense of how olive oil adds to them. Some suggestions include a white meat such as grilled chicken, a red meat such as steak, a loaf of bread for dipping, some salad greens, some cooked pasta, a mild soft cheese and a stronger hard cheese.
Try each food in each of the three different olive oils, noting the way the oil complements or contrasts the food. Take a note of which pairings you enjoy and which you do not, as well as any that surprise you.
Continue to pay attention to how the olive oil complements or contrasts the food as you cook. You may find yourself changing which olive oil you reach for as your palate continues to mature and you continue to develop your olive oil tasting expertise.
Tasting olive oil is both an art and a science, just like tasting wine, beer, whiskey, chocolate or anything else. You can hone your sensitivity to olive oil flavors with practice over time, but you need to do it the right way to get the most benefit out of your olive oil tastings. In this guide, we will walk you through each step of olive oil tastings, plus offer tips for pairing olive oil with food and for hosting your own olive oil tasting.
Source: olivemagazine.gr
