International cooking trends to inspire you right now

What are you going to cook this year, and how are you going to do it? We keep abreast of the latest in culinary trends.

“A return to home cooking, growing use of online and mobile food applications, a local focus, diverse flavours and a trend toward ‘green' cooking and eating' are among the top food trends for 2011.”

- Margot Janse

Pairing food with the right beer

Food and drink pairing is becoming more and more popular as people's palates get used to the wonderful flavours that are created when you do it right. With the help of Peter Goffe-Wood and SAB, we show you how to pair food with beer.

While beer has long been a pivotal part of our culture and heritage, wine is typically considered the requisite partner to a meal.

Now, the South African Breweries has recruited top chef Pete Goffe-Wood to help turn this common misconception on its head.

The result is a list of guidelines for matching the country’s best brews with a range of foods.

THE GROUND RULES FOR PAIRING BEER AND FOOD

• Seek compatibility, ie combinations often work best when they have some flavour or aroma elements in common.

• Match beer strength with food strength, so a delicate dish works best with a delicate beer.

• Using the wine school of thought, think of ale as red wine and lager as white wine.

• Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat and richness.

• The more hop bitterness in the beer, the heartier the meal needs to be to hold its own.

• Experiment with contrasting and complimentary pairings.

• Taste is very subjective, so be open to suggestions.

• Foods that are full of flavour can be paired with beers that have a slightly higher alcohol content.

Says Pete Goffe-Wood: ‘Beer and food pairing is about balancing flavours and mouth feel - it is often dishes with a higher fat content that work best as then the cleansing characteristics of the beer are even more evident.

In well crafted beers there is a sophisticated layering of flavours - the combination of sweetness and bitterness stand up to more than just spicy food but also work well with subtle nuances in more complex cuisine.’

GREAT FOOD AND BEER PAIRINGS

Put your tastebuds to the test with this great recipe, created by Peter Goffe-Wood, and paired wonderfully with a Peroni Nastro Azzurro:

Caramelised butternut and goats’ cheese rotolo, crisp sage, pine nuts & Parmesan

MORE GREAT PAIRINGS