Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Ricotta
Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers ricotta's optimal flavour pairings.
Ricotta is defined by the unmistakable flavours of lactic acid and milk, but beneath its sweetness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as butter, sugar, and honey, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for ricotta is understanding how these notes harmonise.
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 vanillin's vanillic tones ground ricotta, and how vanilla sugar's vanillic notes create a surprising synergy with its creamy tanginess.
Flavour Profile Of Ricotta Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour
An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as nectarous, acidic, or floral, 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.
Flavour Pairing Method
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.
Our analysis shows that the flavour of lactic acid is strongly associated with the flavour of vanilla. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a vanillic flavour, such as vanilla sugar, when pairing with the lactic acid notes of ricotta.
The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing ricotta with vanilla sugar.
Harmonious Flavours Of Ricotta
Just as our analysis reveals that lactic acid and vanillic flavour notes harmonise well, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in ricotta. For instance, the milky flavours of ricotta are strongly associated with cherry-like and rose accents.
The notes complementary to the various aroma notes of ricotta can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.
Flavour Profile Of Ricotta And Its Complementary Flavour Notes
Matching Flavour Profiles
The flavour profile of vanillin offers many of the accents complementary to ricotta, including vanilla and maple accents. Because the flavour profile of vanillin has many of the of the features that are complementary to ricotta, they are likely to pair very well together.
Prominent Flavour Notes Of Vanillin Are Represented By Longer Bars
The chart above shows the unique profile of vanillin across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with ricotta.
Recipes That Pair Ricotta With Vanillin
Linked Flavour Notes
Looking at the aroma accents that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of ricotta, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.
The Flavour Notes That Harmonise With Ricotta And The Ingredients That Share Some Of These Notes
Ricotta's Strongest Flavours
Complementary Flavours
Ingredients with Complementary Flavours
Flavour groups:
Nectarous
Acidic
Floral
Herbal
Spice
Maillard
Earthy
Carnal
The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of ricotta, 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 ricotta.
What To Drink With Ricotta
The vanilla notes in kahlua make it a perfect pairing with ricotta. Likewise, the cocoa flavours in hot chocolate create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of ricotta below.
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.