8 strange (yet tasty) food combinations
Even at the best of times the world doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Sometimes though, rather than question this it’s better to just go along for the ride. We’ve put together a list of eight food combinations that are strange, yet somehow tasty. Read on (and maybe even try one) if you dare!
1. Chocolate and salt
To be fair, the secret is well and truly out about how well chocolate and salt go together (in the correct proportions of course), but it’s a taste that’s well worth trying if you haven’t had the chance already. The right quantity of salt really enhances the flavour of chocolate making it richer and more intense in hot and cold recipes.
2. Champagne and fried chicken
Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. While this is probably not a culinary exploration you want to be embarking on more than once every few months or so, bubbly and fried bird go together and go together well. So well in fact there’s now a New York restaurant dedicated to serving this odd but undeniably delicious dish.
3. Peanut butter and bacon
When Elvis released Jailhouse Rock the world gained an iconic musician, but just might have lost an innovative (if not particularly health conscious) sandwich designer. Peanut butter and bacon is the foundation The King’s famous Elvis sandwich was built upon, and serves as further proof to the age old adage, “everything is better with bacon”.
4. Mayonnaise and hot chips
While splashing a serving of hot chips with anything other than tomato sauce may seem sacrilege to us, mayonnaise is the topping of choice in many European countries. And once you’ve sampled a delicious order of frites with mayonnaise yourself, it will be easy enough to see why this is.
5. Dark chocolate and Parmesan cheese
We don’t know who exactly is in the running to get the Noble Prize this year, but surely the person who came up with this genius concoction has to be one of the lead contenders. The sweet, but not too sweet dark chocolate makes the perfect match for the nutty, tangy flavours of the Parmesan cheese, proving two rights make something fantastic!
6. Watermelon and prosciutto
Now these are certainly two items that provide very different figures when you’re reviewing your weekly shopping docket, but in combination they create something amazing. Wonderfully weird, the sweet juiciness of the watermelon provides the perfect contrast to the salty-pork taste of the prosciutto.
7. Balsamic vinegar and strawberries
Your eight-year-old granddaughter might not necessarily agree with you, but balsamic vinegar provides a tantalising way for refined tastebuds to enhance the strawberry flavour. Best poured conservatively onto vanilla ice cream for an after dinner dessert that’s a great alternative to chocolate sauce.
8. Chilli powder and mangos
While we can’t necessarily vouch for this one, if you’re not afraid of hotter flavours this taste could really work and give the decadence of a mango a delicious kick. Consider adding a squeeze of lime or a pinch of salt to really bring the whole thing together and feel like you’re south of the border.