Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Bacon Fat
Top flavour pairings and bacon fat recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.
Bacon fat conjures the evocative embrace of thiamine and the kiss of smoke, yet its initial umaminess is only the overtone. Beneath lies a tapestry of delicate protease, glutamate, and the unctuous richness of animal fat, giving it remarkable depth. The gastronomic enchantment unfolds when we pair bacon fat with ingredients that let these nuances sing.
To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how flat-leaf parsley's leafy tones carry bacon fat, and how sage's rosmarinic notes create a surprising synergy with its porky meatiness.
Flavour Profile Of Bacon Fat Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Bacon fat: Porcine, Smoky, Adipose, Proteolytic, Glutamic, Charred, Caramel, Toasted, Saline, Hickory, Oleic, Bovine, Burnt, Buttery, Lactic, Sulfurous, Poultry, Hazelnut, Acetic
An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like carnal, maillard, and woody, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.
The Art of Flavour Pairing
To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.
The Flavours That Harmonise With Porcine Notes
Strength of Association Between Flavours
The flavours most associated with porcine notes are: Violet, Rosemary, Chanterelle, Penicillium, Bay leaf, Sage, Oxidized, Thyme, Brettanomyces, Petrichor, Walnut, Dried Porcini, Musky, Sulfurous, Acetic.
Our analysis reveals a strong connection between pork and rosemary flavours. Since bacon fat has a distinct porky flavour, try pairing it with the rosemary flavours of sage.
The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing bacon fat with sage.
Harmonious Flavours Of Bacon Fat
Just as our ingredient analysis revealed that pork and violic flavours harmonise, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in bacon fat. For instance, the smoky flavours of bacon fat are strongly associated with oniony and corn-like flavours.
The aroma notes complementing the various notes of bacon fat can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Bacon Fat And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Bacon fat: Porcine, Smoky, Adipose, Proteolytic, Glutamic, Charred, Caramel, Toasted, Saline, Hickory, Oleic, Bovine, Burnt, Buttery, Lactic, Sulfurous, Poultry, Hazelnut, Acetic
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley offers many of the aroma notes complementary to bacon fat, including leafy and grassy aromas. Because the flavour profile of flat-leaf parsley has many of the of the features that are complementary to bacon fat, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Flat-leaf Parsley Are Represented By Longer Bars
Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Flat-leaf parsley: Chlorophyll, Grassy, Basil, Thyme, Celery, Cucumber, Resinous, Sage, Spinach, Bay leaf, Rosemary, Fennel, Camphor, Cedar, Glutamic
The chart above shows the unique profile of flat-leaf parsley across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with bacon fat.
Recipes That Pair Bacon Fat With Flat-leaf Parsley
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of bacon fat, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
Bacon Fat's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients
Bacon fat's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Nectarous
Acidic
Floral
Herbal
Spice
Vegetal
Maillard
Earthy
Woody
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of bacon fat, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to bacon fat.
What To Drink With Bacon Fat
The leafy notes in carrot juice make it a perfect pairing with bacon fat. Likewise, the violet flavours in crème de violette create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of bacon fat below.
Which Herbs Go With Bacon Fat?
Choose herbs that lift its salinity or anchor its fermented aroma. Flat-leaf parsley and parsley offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Chervil add a gentle, oniony brightness, while bouquet garni introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.
Alternatively, embrace herbs that harmonise with bacon fat's sweetness. The addition of watercress, with its subtle brassica notes, can complement the caramel beautifully, while thyme lends a fresh leafiness.
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., Bacon fat), 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.