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Tips for pairing food and cider
Some advice to help find pairings of food and cider that work for you. As a general rule,
- the cider and the dish should not be contrasting in flavour (sweet, bitter, sour, salty);
- they must also go together in terms of overall sensory impressions, i.e. when describing the dish and the cider, the same adjectives should apply to both;
- neither the dish nor the cider should dominate the other.
And in practice?
As an initial approach, base your choice on:
- the sugar content remaining in the cider, indicated on the label: “extra dry, dry, semi-dry (or medium), sweet”;
- two other flavours that can be detected in cider: acidity and bitterness (so-called tannic ciders).
The pairing can then be fine-tuned according to the aromas and flavours detected in the nose and in the mouth.
Dry, sweet, etc.: the residual sugar content
In most ciders, not all of the sugar initially present in the apple must is converted into alcohol. This is called the residual sugar. The more residual sugar a cider contains, the lower its alcohol content.
- Extra-dry, dry and semi-dry ciders are generally used for savoury dishes
- Sweet and semi-dry ciders accompany sweet or neutral dishes
Sharp, tannic, balanced, etc.
Cider can have a clearly dominant sharpness or tannicity (bitterness), it can reveal a combination of both components or have little of either.
- Sharp ciders can be paired with fresh, light dishes
- Tannic ciders go better with heavier or more spicy dishes with more pronounced flavour
And the bouquet?
The list of possible aromas present in the bouquet is long: consult the aroma wheel.
- Sweet and semi-dry ciders generally have a dominant fruity note
- Dry and extra-dry ciders are often slightly less fruity, and reveal a more complex bouquet
Thus, pairings between the dominant notes perceived in the cider and the dish should be done according to individual taste. Two examples:
- apple pie goes well with a more fruity cider: apple, pear, quince, banana flavours as well as vanilla, caramel or cinnamon notes;
- hare stew will go well with a appley cider with earthy, leather or mushroom undertones.
Go ahead and dare to try offbeat pairings that can reveal unexpected flavours.
Some ideas
Download the table of suggested cider-food pairings.
| Some ideas | Recommended cider(s) | Other suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Salted snacks, savoury breads, fresh cheese verrines, tomatoes | Sharp semi-dry or balanced dry cider | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC, apple juice, white cider brandy-based cocktails |
| Cold cuts | Cornouaille cider PDO or a bittersharp semi-dry cider |
| Some ideas | Recommended cider(s) | Other suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Foie gras | Somewhat bittersweet semi-dry cider | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC |
| Cantaloupe, watermelon | Balanced or sharp semi-dry cider | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC |
| Salads, vegetable pies, soups | Slightly sharp or bittersharp dry cider according to the vegetables in the dish | |
| Shellfish | Balanced or slightly bittersharp extra-dry |
| Some ideas | Recommended cider(s) | Other suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Filled savoury buckwheat crepes | Balanced, bittersharp or Cornouaille cider PDO according to the filling | |
| Grilled poultry | Balanced dry or slightly sharp cider | |
| Poultry in cream sauce | Balanced dry or slightly bittersharp cider | |
| Freshwater fish | Balanced or slightly sharp dry or extra-dry cider | |
| Saltwater fish | Balanced or slightly bittersharp extra-dry | |
| Roasted or grilled red meat | Balanced dry or slightly bittersharp cider | |
| Game, tripe sausage, tripe, stew | Bittersweet dry or Cornouaille cider PDO | |
| Grain-based vegetarian dishes | Balanced or slightly bittersharp dry cider |
| Some ideas | Recommended cider(s) | Other suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Camembert, brie, etc. | Cornouaille PDO or slightly bittersweet semi-dry cider | |
| Munster, Livarot, Epoisse, etc. | Balanced extra-dry or dry cider | |
| Comté, Cantal, Emmental,etc. | Slightly bittersharp extra-dry or dry | |
| Saint-Nectaire, Tomme, Reblochon,etc. | Sharp, soft semi-dry or sweet cider | |
| Roquefort, blue cheeses, etc. | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC | |
| Fresh cheeses | Balanced semi-dry cider |
| Some ideas | Recommended cider(s) | Other suggestions |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit-based (pies, crepes, mousses, etc.) | Sharp sweet cider | Apple juice |
| Chocolate desserts (crepes, mousse, cake, etc.) | Cornouaille cider PDO or a bittersharp sweet cider | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC, apple juice |
| Cream desserts (cream puffs, Saint-Honoré, etc.) | Balanced or slightly bittersharp sweet cider | Apple juice |
| Kouign Amann (traditional Breton pastry) | Cornouaille cider PDO or a bittersharp sweet cider | Pommeau de Bretagne AOC, apple juice |
Tableau "Quelques idées" accords mets-cidre à imprimer table of suggested cider-food pairings to print - PDF - 438.2 KiB
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