Book Review: Can Science Determine Which Foods Taste Best Together?
Jasmine and Beef: The Perfect Flavor Combination? Larry Page and Jon SullivanIn Taste Buds And Molecules, Francois Chartier concocts some unexpected pairings The idea that Canadian sommellier François Chartier presents in his book Taste Buds and Molecules: The Art and Science of Food, Wine, and Flavor is a very intriguing one. Look at the aroma molecules that give foods and wines their characters, he says, and use that as a basis for pairing foods with wines and with each other. Instead of years of tastings and trial and error, a few simple principles and charts can guarantee exquisite pairings every time. Intriguing idea, yes; but the author sets it out in a hodgepodge of details with a diaphanous veneer of science, direly lacking the clear explanations of cause and effect that would make it truly useful. The underlying principle of Chartier's approach is that if two things have flavor compounds...