Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Tea & Food Pairings




Occasionally, during my days talking about tea questions arise about pairing tea & food.
Luckily for me SerendipiTea's founder has collected so much information on this subject that we can all benefit from.

Tea, like wines can complement the meals that they are served with and this works across the board ... soups , cheese, meats from the humble burger to full multi-course gastronomic experiences, the right tea can make the difference.

By now most of us have experienced a great sushi or sashimi meal that was only made more memorable when the green tea comes, or Ceylon green along with chili or garlic prawns but there is much more that tea can do to enhance a meal.

So let's take a look at

SerendipiTea & Asian foods

An obvious place to start when pairing teas with Asian food is with seafood.
Gen Mai Cha , Sencha, Temple of heaven, Hojicha & Kokeicha are the obvious choices with fresh seafood dishes. these delicious green teas are perfect matches with seafood and rice.

Pouchong, and lightly oxidized oolongs like Fu Man Chu, Se Chung, Jade Prince Buddha's Finger & Jasmine Yin Hao go particularly well with sweet rich seafood, like lobster & scallops.

Black teas like Ceylon, Darjeeling, Darjeeling 1st & 2nd Flush, Keemun, Nameste & even Bolivian Black will work well with full flavored meats, curries, pastries and darker sauces.

For chicken, meats & food rich with oils or animal fats Pu-erh like Fu Man Chu, Jasmine Yin Hao or Casanova.

Now, there are some tips on pairings with all types of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese meals and more... now get out there (or even at home) and give tea a try ... It will add to the richness of life!
Hey countless billions of people can't be wrong !

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