Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Pork Tenderloin

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers pork tenderloin's optimal flavour pairings.

Pork tenderloin instantly conjures the embrace of thiamine and the kiss of protease, but beneath its umaminess lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as porcini, poultry, and hints of asparagus, contributing remarkable depth. Understanding how these elements interplay is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

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 lettuce's cucumber tones carry pork tenderloin, and how cremini mushroom's cantharelloid notes create a surprising synergy with its porky meatiness.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. carnal, maillard, and earthy) 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.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations

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 Porcine Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of pork is strongly associated with the flavour of chanterelle. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a chanterelle flavour, such as cremini mushroom, when pairing with the porky aromas of pork tenderloin.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing pork tenderloin with cremini mushroom.

Harmonious Flavours Of Pork Tenderloin

Just as our analysis revealed that pork and brettanomycine flavour accents are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in pork tenderloin. For instance, the fermented proteins accents of pork tenderloin are strongly associated with spinachy and grassy notes.

The notes complementing the various aroma notes of pork tenderloin can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of lettuce offers many of the notes complementary to pork tenderloin, including cucumber and leafy accents. Because the flavour profile of lettuce has many of the of the features that are complementary to pork tenderloin, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of lettuce across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with pork tenderloin.

Recipes That Pair Pork Tenderloin With Lettuce

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

What To Drink With Pork Tenderloin

The rice notes in genmaicha tea make it a perfect pairing with pork tenderloin. Likewise, the petrichor flavours in fermented tea create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of pork tenderloin below.

Which Fruit Go With Pork Tenderloin?

Choose fruit that enrich its grassiness or anchor its fermented aroma. Red bell pepper offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Grape tomato add a gentle, oniony brightness, while avocado introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with pork tenderloin's pungency. The addition of cherry tomato, with its subtle solanum notes, can complement the mustard beautifully. Jicama bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while plum lends a green sweetness.

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., Pork tenderloin), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.