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RESEARCH PRODUCT

From beverage to companion food: Experts' principles for pairing wines and beers with food

subject

description

Projet "Associations entre bières et mets : de la perception au jugement des consommateurs en situation réelle de consommation".; Pairing beverages and dishes is part of culinary tradition. The objective is to identify the principles used by experts for pairing. Ten sommeliers and ten beer experts were presented with the description of a drink, either beer or wine. They were asked to suggest dishes to match the drink and explaining their choices. They performed the task with two beers and two wines. Both perceptual and conceptual principles are reported, the former being the most often used. Overall, 10 perceptual principles were identified. They intend to either reinforce the quality of the food and the drink both being perceived individually or to create a harmony within the food-drink pair, being perceived as a whole. Conceptual principles mainly relate to products region or quality level.