Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Aquavit
Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for aquavit according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.
Aquavit immediately conjures the embrace of resin and the kiss of fennel, yet its initial bitterness is only the overtone. Beneath lies a complex tapestry of eucalyptus, whispers of pine, and the sweet-spicy aroma of liquorice, contributing remarkable depth. And the culinary wizardry begins when we seek out partners that allow these notes to truly sing, to harmonise in unexpected and delightful ways.
To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our analysis reveals, for example, how salmon's oceanic tones enrich aquavit, and how herring's glutamic notes create a surprising synergy with its turpentine sweetness.
Flavour Profile Of Aquavit Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Aquavit: Resinous, Fennel, Anise, Pine, Eucalyptol, Menthol, Cedar, Coriander seed, Camphor, Poivre
An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. herbal, spice, and woody) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.
The Secret Language of Flavour
To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.
The Flavours That Harmonise With Resin Notes
Strength of Association Between Flavours
The flavours most associated with resin notes are: Glutamic, Fatty, Starch, Sulfurous, Proteolytic, Bean, Brassica, Caramel, Coconut, Tomato, Ferrous, Mustard, Raisin, Gamey, Capsaicin.
Our analysis shows that the flavour of resin is strongly associated with the flavour of glutamate. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a glutamic flavour, such as herring, when pairing with the resinous accents of aquavit.
The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing aquavit with herring.
Harmonious Flavours Of Aquavit
Just as our analysis revealed that resin and glutamic flavours tend to pair together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in aquavit. For instance, the fennel notes of aquavit are strongly associated with copper and oceanic notes.
The aroma notes complementing the various aromas of aquavit can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Aquavit And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Aquavit: Resinous, Fennel, Anise, Pine, Eucalyptol, Menthol, Cedar, Coriander seed, Camphor, Poivre
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of salmon offers many of the aromas complementary to aquavit, including oceanic and glutamic aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of salmon has many of the of the features that are complementary to aquavit, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Salmon Are Represented By Longer Bars
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Salmon: Oceanic, Fishy, Proteolytic, Seaweed, Saline, Glutamic, Adipose, Cucumber, Oleic, Buttery, Fungus, Iron, Chestnut, Copper
The chart above shows the unique profile of salmon across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with aquavit.
Recipes That Pair Aquavit With Salmon
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of aquavit, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
Aquavit's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients
Aquavit's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Nectarous
Floral
Herbal
Vegetal
Maillard
Earthy
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of aquavit, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma notes complementary to aquavit.
Prominent Pairings
Our analysis identifies dishes that pair well with aquavit and highlights the prominent ingredient combinations within these recipes. Key pairs include trout and caper offering salty character, star anise and clove for pungency, smoked trout and cinnamon stick for cinnamonic depth, and white wine and white Burgundy for a complex chalky undertone. Explore these combinations to unlock aquavit's hidden complexity, reveal deep nuance, and elevate its vibrant character.
Ingredient Combinations Among Dishes That Pair With Aquavit
Flavour groups:
Sweet
Sour
Botanic
Herbal
Vegetal
Tawny
Umami
How Flavonomics Works
We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.
Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.
Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.
We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.
These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Aquavit), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.
Explore More
Discover more ingredient profiles and expand your culinary knowledge. Each ingredient page offers detailed analysis of flavour profiles, pairing insights, and culinary applications.
The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.