Why do you need a comprehensive fruit flavor pairing chart? Obviously, fruit is essential to human life as it contains many nutrients. And finding ideal flavor combinations of fruits and other ingredients is the best way to enhance the overall flavor of your recipes.
There are about 2,000 species of fruit on this planet (1) with different tastes, scents, and aftertastes. And they are ideal options for highlighting or balancing other ingredients in various cooking or beverage ideas.
However, the information available for fruit flavor pairing is plentiful yet somehow unclear. Fortunately, the article below may provide you with all insights regarding flavor combinations with different types of fruits.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s jump right into this post to find out!
What Fruits Pair Well Together
Perhaps, the first thing that comes to mind when you want to combine something with fruit is other fruits. Let’s see what fruit combinations are best with the information below!
- Apple: apricot, blackberry, currant, orange, plum, quince
- Apricot: banana, coconut, lemon, peach, prune, strawberry
- Avocado: blueberry, guava, lime, papaya, raspberry, passion fruit
- Banana: passion fruit, coconut, lemon, mango, cherry
- Blackberry: apricot, mango, raspberry, watermelon, nectarine, plum
- Blueberry: fig, lemon, pineapple, strawberry, melon, rhubarb
- Cantaloupe: melon, grapefruit, raspberry
- Cherry: lemon, orange, quince, coconut
- Coconut: cherry, kumquat, lychee, passion fruit, date, cranberry
- Date: prune, lemon, lime, apricot, apple
- Grape: lemon, raspberry, pear, apple, strawberry
- Kiwi: coconut, lychee, papaya, pineapple, orange
- Lime: gooseberry, honeydew, passion fruit, avocado, tomato
- Mango: kumquat, pineapple, banana, strawberry
- Peach: nectarines, plum, blueberry, papaya, cherry
- Pomegranate: banana, grapefruit, lime, apple
- Quince: date, orange, cherry, kumquat
- Strawberry: boysenberry, rhubarb, banana, guava, melon, pomegranate
The Guidance Of Pairing Fruit With Different Alcoholic Drinks
Sometimes, it takes a small adjustment to elevate your drink by adding fruit to wine or other alcoholic beverages. The charts below show you the best fruits to go with your favorite drinks.
For Wine
Sipping a glass of wine and enjoying some fruit along with it will undoubtedly make it much more enjoyable. The wine’s bitter taste combines with the fruit’s sweet and sour flavors to create various new experiences.
For Other Alcoholic Drinks
There are other alcoholic drinks like liqueur, spirit, or brandy. And, of course, pairing these drinks with fruit never gets old.
The Wonderful Fruits That You Can Add To Your Tea
Every type of tea, like different wine varieties, has a distinct flavor profile and growing region. So, while wine is well-loved in Europe, tea is a gift that nature gives to the East.
Furthermore, the art of drinking tea necessitates the highest level of sophistication to show the drinker’s level of expertise.
So, how to pair fruit with tea to make a refreshing beverage? Do you want to create your own unique tea recipe? This section will help you find the best fruit for four main types of tea.
| Types of tea | Fruit |
| Black tea | Apricots, lemon, mango, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, pears, peaches, and strawberries. |
| Green tea | Blueberry, kiwi, lemon, mango, peach, pomegranate, and strawberries. |
| Oolong tea | Apricot, cherry, coconut, melons, medlar, mulberry, raisin, plum, and peach. |
| White tea | Apricot, grape, honey dew, mango, and pear. |
The novel blend of green tea and fruits produces a delightful beverage for a hot day.
How To Pair Fruits With Different Types of Chocolate
Different types of chocolate might have different ingredients, but what gives it its distinctive flavor are the beans of the cocoa tree. Common store-bought chocolates that you can easily find are dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate, or you can make them at home.
Many studies show that chocolate helps increase feelings of euphoria and reduce stress (2). For women, it limits pain when they are menstruating. In particular, dark chocolate helps the circulatory system work better.
So what fruits are best to go with these chocolate varieties? Here is the answer.
| Types of chocolate | Fruit |
| Dark chocolate | Apricot, banana, cantaloupe, cherry, coconut, honeydew, kiwi, lemon, mango, orange, passion fruit, pear, raisin, raspberry, and strawberry |
| Milk chocolate | Apricot, apple, banana, cantaloupe, cherry, coconut, kiwi, lemon, orange, passion fruit, pear, pomegranate, prune, raisin, raspberry, and strawberry |
| White chocolate | Apricot, banana, blueberry, cherry, coconut, cranberry, currant, date, fig, gooseberry, grape, honeydew, lemon, lime, mango, orange, papaya, passion fruit, peach, raspberry, and strawberry |
Tips To Combine Fruit With Cheese and Meat Boards
What would it be like to combine savory with fruit? They are, of course, perfectly appropriate. At the end of the week, you can make a tray of meat, cheese, and fruit, have a soft drink, and drop into the pool to relax.
- Blue cheese: avocado, dates, figs, apples, pears
- Brie: apricots, strawberry, blackberry, pears, apples, cranberry, figs
- Camembert: pears, apples, most berries
- Cheddar (Mild): dates, pears, apples, grapes
- Feta: cranberry, strawberries, grape, lemon, cantaloupe
- Goat Cheese: cranberry, fig, pear, pomegranate, apricots, grape
- Gouda: cherries, apples, pears, apricots, peaches
- Parmesan: figs, apples, pears, cantaloupe, strawberries
Check out this instruction to pair your favorite cheese with tasty fruits.
Comprehensive Fruit Flavor Pairing Chart To Save
Creativity has no end. So, do not hesitate to combine ingredients, especially fruits, with everything, such as herbs, spices, nuts, and more.
So if you need a guide for easy combinations that bring out the best in flavor of fruits, check out the following table.
Other Notes To Pair Different Flavors
At this point, you probably realize that pairing flavors together is not an easy task. They are the result of constant testing. But there are also some notes that you should remember in pairing fruits, or food in general.
Taste And Flavor Are 2 Different Concepts
Do not mistake that taste and flavor share the same meaning. According to research, there are 5 primary tastes (3), while flavor refers to all factors, including smell, texture, and how you perceive that taste of your food.
Different tastes can either enhance or balance each other. Without comprehensive understanding, it is hard to know which to pair.
Check out this academic introduction to gain expertise in the main tastes.
Sweetness
Sweetness reminds us of something that tastes like sugar. People also associate sweetness with a pleasant taste.
For example, honey, sugar canes, beets, corn, fruit, or saccharin (artificial sweetener). The sweetness will balance the bitterness and sourness.
Saltiness
When it comes to saltiness, people immediately think of salt because it is the main element that gives food a salty flavor. Besides countering the bitter taste, a little bit of salt enhances the sweetness – making the dish sweeter.
Bitterness
Bitterness is the third basic taste and plays an important role in balancing the other flavors. If you want to reduce the sweetness of the dish, try adding basil, rosemary, lettuce, grapefruit zest, olives, and bitter melon.
Sourness
People frequently add sourness to dishes to break up the monotony. It does great things to counteract the sweetness. So you’ll see many pastries topped with sour fruit. Citrus (especially lemon and lime), some berries (cranberry), and vinegar are common ingredients with a sour flavor.
Umami
The strangest taste among the 5 basic ones is the umami flavor. It’s difficult to describe accurately with words. To put it simply, umami is a unique taste that you can find in a broth of protein-rich food.
Meat, mushrooms, legumes, cheese, and seafood like oysters also contain umami taste. If the dish’s overall flavor is not strong enough, you can add these ingredients to balance or enhance other ingredient’s flavor.
Consider The Bitter Taste
Bitterness, though rare in foods, is quite strong. If you combine them with light-flavor fruit, their taste can be completely overpowered. For some types that contain bitter flavors such as bitter melon, cabbage, and grapefruit zest, you should be careful when combining.
Maximize Your Creativity With The Combination Of Fruit
There are many fruit varieties around the world. Therefore, their flavors are abundant so you will need a good flavor pairing chart to ensure that you are using them correctly.
With the above information, I hope you can apply it and create your own signature dishes with fruits. So if you find it helpful for your culinary journey, please share this article with your loved ones and invite them to try all these perfect pairings. Thank you!
References
- www.javatpoint.com. 2022. List of Fruits – Javatpoint.
- 2022. [online] Available at: <https://newlywedsfoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/USNovember2017Tasteology.pdf>
- Psychreg. 2022. Eating Chocolates Can Boost Your Mental Health: Here’s Why.
