Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Black Garlic

Top flavour pairings and black garlic recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Black garlic instantly conjures the embrace of caramel and the bracing kiss of molasses, but beneath its umami surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: balsam, fig, and even hints of raisin, contributing remarkable depth. The key to a remarkable combination lies in appreciating how these notes harmonise and interact.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our findings reveal, for instance, how veal breast's glutamic tones can enrich black garlic, or how cauliflower's brassica notes create an unexpectedly harmonious bridge with the warm sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, acidic, or nectarous, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Flavour Code

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 Caramel Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between caramel and cabbage flavours. Since black garlic has a distinct caramel flavour, try pairing it with the cabbagy flavours of cauliflower.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing black garlic with cauliflower.

Harmonious Flavours Of Black Garlic

Just as our analysis indicated that caramel and cabbagy flavours are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in black garlic. E.g. the molasses flavours of black garlic are often used with allspice-like and sesame flavours.

The aromas complementary to the various accents of black garlic can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of veal breast offers many of the aroma notes complementary to black garlic, including glutamic and lacteal aroma accents. Because the flavour profile of veal breast has many of the of the features that are complementary to black garlic, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of veal breast across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with black garlic.

Recipes That Pair Black Garlic With Veal Breast

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of black garlic, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of black garlic, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the aroma accents complementary to black garlic.

What To Drink With Black Garlic

The cedar notes in lemonade make it a perfect pairing with black garlic. Likewise, the clove flavours in falernum create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of black garlic below.

Which Fruit Go With Black Garlic?

Choose fruit that ground its sweetness or ground its fig sweetness. Lemon and lemon zest offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Orange add a gentle, oniony brightness, while pear introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with black garlic's sharpness. The addition of grape tomato, with its subtle leafy notes, can complement the vinegar beautifully, while avocado 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., Black garlic), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.