Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Top flavour pairings and extra virgin olive oil recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Briny aroma and oily notes are at the forefront of extra virgin olive oil's flavour profile, but identifying its perfect partner requires exploring its subtle nuances. We must examine the complex interplay of notes within its bouquet, like grass, tomato, and hints of almond. We need to understand how these notes affect each other and which complementary flavors they harmonise with.

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 Pecorino Romano's saline tones ground extra virgin olive oil, and how lamb rib's ovine notes create a surprising synergy with its briny aroma.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. floral, herbal, and nectarous) 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 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 Olive Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of olive is strongly associated with the flavour of lamb. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a lamby flavour, such as lamb rib, when pairing with the olivey aromas of extra virgin olive oil.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing extra virgin olive oil with lamb rib.

Harmonious Flavours Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Just as our analysis found that olive and lamby flavours often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in extra virgin olive oil. For instance, the grassy accents of extra virgin olive oil are strongly associated with briney and vinegary accents.

The accents linked to the various aromas of extra virgin olive oil can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of Pecorino Romano offers many of the aroma notes complementary to extra virgin olive oil, including saline and proteolytic aroma notes. Because the flavour profile of Pecorino Romano has many of the of the features that are complementary to extra virgin olive oil, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of Pecorino Romano across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with extra virgin olive oil.

Recipes That Pair Extra Virgin Olive Oil With Pecorino Romano

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of extra virgin olive oil, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of extra virgin olive oil, 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 extra virgin olive oil.

What To Drink With Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The saline notes in pecorino make it a perfect pairing with extra virgin olive oil. Likewise, the saline flavours in pantelleria create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of extra virgin olive oil below.

Which Cheese Go With Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

Choose cheese that awaken its oliviness or awaken its fresh aroma. Pecorino Romano and feta offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Parmesan add a gentle, oniony brightness, while manchego introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace cheese that harmonise with extra virgin olive oil's greenness. The addition of fontina, with its subtle proteolytic notes, can complement the chlorophyll beautifully, while gorgonzola lends a savoury richness.

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., Extra virgin olive oil), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.