Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Tarragon

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for tarragon according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Tarragon conjures the embrace of liquorice and the bracing kiss of fennel, but beneath its bitter surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: resin, grass, and even hints of basil, giving it remarkable depth. Understanding how these elements interplay is the secret to unlocking truly exceptional pairings.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the marine, briny iodine in mackerel can enrich tarragon, and how anchovy's oceanic notes forge a beautiful synergy with its sweet-spicy aroma.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. herbal, spice, and woody) 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.

Flavour Pairing Method

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 Liquorice Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of liquorice is strongly associated with the flavour of iodine. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a oceanic flavour, such as anchovy, when pairing with the liquorice aromas of tarragon.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing tarragon with anchovy.

Harmonious Flavours Of Tarragon

Just as our analysis reveals that liquorice and oceanic flavour accents combine harmoniously, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in tarragon. For instance, the fennel flavours of tarragon are strongly associated with petrichor and spinachy flavours.

The aroma notes associated with the various aroma accents of tarragon can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of mackerel offers many of the aroma notes complementary to tarragon, including oceanic and fatty accents. Because the flavour profile of mackerel has many of the of the features that are complementary to tarragon, they are likely to pair very well together.

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

Recipes That Pair Tarragon With Mackerel

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

What To Drink With Tarragon

The oceanic notes in manzanilla sherry make it a perfect pairing with tarragon. Likewise, the glutamic flavours in pecorino create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of tarragon below.

Which Cheese Go With Tarragon?

Choose cheese that awaken its greenness or ground its turpentine sweetness. 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 tarragon's pungency. The addition of gruyère, with its subtle hay-like notes, can complement the clove beautifully, while comté 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., Tarragon), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.