Book

What to Drink with What You Eat

📖 Overview

What to Drink with What You Eat serves as a comprehensive guide to beverage and food pairing. The book draws on input from experts including sommeliers and chefs from restaurants across America. The text is structured in two main sections - one organized by food and one by beverage. Each entry provides specific pairing recommendations along with explanations of why certain combinations work well together. The guide covers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, from wine and beer to tea and coffee. Clear charts, lists, and expert quotes support the pairing suggestions throughout the book. Beyond simple rules, the book presents beverage pairing as an opportunity to enhance the dining experience through complementary flavors and textures. The work encourages readers to develop their own pairing instincts while providing expert guidance as a foundation.

👀 Reviews

Readers value this book as a detailed reference guide for food and drink pairing. Many note they keep it on hand in their kitchen or bar for regular consultation. Likes: - Clear organization by both food and beverage makes it quick to look up pairings - Includes input from sommeliers and chefs - Goes beyond wine to cover beer, coffee, tea, and spirits - Practical tips for hosting and dining out - Photos helpful for visualizing pairings Dislikes: - Some find the size bulky for practical use - A few note the beverage recommendations skew expensive - Charts can be overwhelming with too many options listed - Some want more specific brand recommendations Ratings: Goodreads: 4.37/5 (1,821 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (656 ratings) Notable review: "This is the book I reach for most often when planning dinner parties. The matrices make it easy to find options at different price points." - Goodreads reviewer

📚 Similar books

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg A reference guide that maps ingredient affinities and flavor combinations used by professional chefs.

Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein A systematic approach to matching food and wine based on basic taste components and cooking methods.

The Food and Wine Pairing Guide by Michel Bonadies A matrix-style handbook that connects 84 wine styles with 400 foods including preparation methods and sauce considerations.

The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson A comprehensive guide that connects wine regions, terroir, and production methods to wine selection and food compatibility.

The Flavor Matrix by James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst A science-based exploration of food combinations using data from chemical compound analysis to identify complementary ingredients.

🤔 Interesting facts

🍷 Author Karen Page and her husband Andrew Dornenburg have together written multiple James Beard Award-winning books about food and wine, including "The Flavor Bible" and "Culinary Artistry." 🍽️ The book covers pairings for more than 1,500 entries, including foods from basic ingredients to complex dishes, and beverages from coffee to champagne. 🏆 "What to Drink with What You Eat" won the 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) "Cookbook of the Year" Award. 🍇 The research for the book included interviews with more than seventy of America's top sommeliers and beverage experts, including those from renowned restaurants like French Laundry and Le Bernardin. 📚 Beyond traditional wine pairings, the book uniquely addresses non-alcoholic beverage pairings and includes a reverse lookup section allowing readers to start with a beverage and find foods that pair well with it.