Food and Wine Pairing : A Sensory Experience

190 Chapter 9 The Impact of Spice

INTRODUCTION

Flavor layering adds more elements to taste components

and texture. Trying to consider all of these elements simulta-

neously can create confusion about the best wine choice for

a given food item. Therefore, one objective of the food-and-

wine pairing process is to isolate these flavors and identify the

most prominent ones. Major flavor character categories in-

clude fruity, nutty, smoky, herbal, spicy, cheesy, earthy, and

meaty. Spicy flavors in food and wine can be particularly im-

portant for matching purposes.

Spices have a long and colorful tradition, having been

used for centuries in cooking, for medicinal purposes, and for

other reasons. In ancient Greece, bay leaves were made into

crowns for scholars and victorious athletes to wear. Capsicum

peppers have been eaten by New World Indians since about

7000 BC. In past centuries, fennel was traditionally hung over

doorways because the plant was believed to ward off evil

spirits.^4

Technically, spices are distinguished from herbs based

on the part of the plant from which they are derived. Spices

come from roots (for example, ginger), bark (cinnamon), flow-

ers (saffron), seeds (cumin), fruit (allspice), or buds (cloves),

while herbs are the fresh or dried leaves. We can classify sea-

sonings based on their taste: sweet-spicy, savory-spicy, hot-

spicy, and herbal, for example.^5

While many experts suggest pairing food and wines by

matching flavors, evaluators need to keep in mind that spicy

or herbal flavors in wine do not come from actual spices and

herbs, and spiciness in food and wine does not by itself guar-

antee a good match between the two.^6 While both Gewu ̈ rztra-

miner and many Asian and Indian dishes are frequently de-

scribed as spicy, this particular match is more likely to work

because of similar levels of acidity and sweetness, not be-

cause of the spiciness. To create a match using flavors and

spiciness, it is important to define the type of spice in the wine

and food to ensure a satisfying match.

The wine and food pairing instrument that will be pre-

sented and discussed in Chapters 11 and 12 includes a sepa-

rate line to assess the level of spice in both wine and food as

part of the evaluation process. The flavor of spice is listed as

a separate category because of its likely impact on pairing de-

cisions when a significant level is present in food dishes. The

following sections explore the issue of spice and its potential

impact on pairing decisions.

Aperitif
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Bayou La Seine: An American Restaurant in Paris

Chef and co-owner Judith Bluysen opened the restaurant, originally called Thanksgiving, along with her

husband, Fre ́de ́ric, in 1993. The restaurant evolved into a full-service operation after a three-year stint

selling American packaged food and homemade take-out foods such as Chili con Carne, Barbecued Ribs,

and Jambalaya, and running an American-cuisine catering service in Paris. The packaged-food store,

Thanksgiving American Grocery Store, still operates directly behind the restaurant, selling baking needs,

basic American groceries, spices, Louisiana specialties, Tex-Mex ingredients, and other specialty items.

For the first year, their restaurant served dishes based on a variety of regional American cuisines,

including New England Baked Beans, North Carolina Barbecue Pork, Kentucky Burgoo, guacamole, pas-

trami, coleslaw, a few California-inspired salads, and Louisiana’s gumbos, jambalayas, and e ́touffe ́es. Al-

though the restaurant was relatively successful, they quickly determined that the various cooking styles,

ingredients, and range of accompaniments were too confusing for the Parisian clientele. Judith and Frederic

decided to choose one cuisine and stick with it. Partially because Louisiana cuisine is particularly relevant

to France, but mostly because of its rich history and its quality, they chose the Cajun and Creole cuisines

of Louisiana. As part of this focus, they decided to change the name of the restaurant to Bayou La Seine

to utilize the Cajun term for a small river and identify its location near the Seine River in Paris.

In this chapter, the focus is on the impact of spicy flavors on wine and food pairing decisions. An

assumption of Cajun and Creole cuisine is that it is spicy. While this is not always the case, the level of