Two Yogurtland flavors side by side
Most froyo shops that use twin-twist soft serve machines with dual hoppers try to pair complementary flavors side by side to encourage customers to twist the flavors. But have you ever wondered why certain flavors like chocolate and peanut butter, pineapple and coconut, and matcha and strawberry go well together? And have you wondered which flavors make good flavor pairs?
To answer these questions, we looked into food pairing. Food pairing researchers have found that foods that share identical flavor compounds make the best flavor pairings. A Belgian company called Foodpairing created a pairing database of vegetables, meat, spices, and other foods. A chemical analysis of the food is used to find the key odorants, odors that humans can smell. Some odorants are not present enough to be detectable by the human nose. The key odorants make up the flavor profile which can then be compared to the other profiles in Foodpairing.com’s extensive database.
According to the co-founder of Foodpairing.com, bio-engineer, and gastronomic scientist, Bernard Lahousse, “The method is based on the principle that foods pair well with one another when they share key aroma components. It is estimated that 20% of a tasting experience comes from taste, whereas 80% comes from the smell or the aroma.”
Chefs have used Foodpairing.com to find surprising ingredient matches that can be used to inspire tasty, innovative dishes. While you need a subscription to use their matching tool, the Foodpairing.com blog recommends some flavor pairings. For example, the Foodpairing.com blog describes why spinach pairs well with dairy and encourages people to add spinach to ice cream or sorbet. In another blog post, Foodpairing.com says that acai “pairs well with many kinds of tea such as Ceylon, Darjeeling, green, and white teas.” There’s also a book called The Art & Science of Foodpairing.
Flavorfox uses a different approach to food pairings. They analyzed over 10,000 recipes to find food pairings. Simply type in the ingredients, specify sweet, savory, or cocktails, and they’ll suggest recipes based on the flavors you’ve selected. They claim to show a range of combinations, from regular to unusual. We typed in blueberry and the results showed many pairings, including coffee, mint, and coconut. According to Flavorfox, pineapple goes well with marshmallow, kiwi, and cinnamon.
Flavorfox seems like a good tool to use if you’re not sure of your flavor pairings. Or you could ask friends, family, and employees what they think of your flavor pairings. Their reactions likely reflect how your customers would feel about your flavor pairings.
