Book Review: What to Drink With What You Eat
Are you a true foodie? If so, you're interested in all aspects of the culinary arts, from cooking to eating to entertaining. If you'd like to learn more about pairing food with wine and other beverages, you have to read this book!
The title is a mouthful: What to Drink with What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea - Even Water - Based on Expert Advice From America's Best Sommeliers. The title is certainly long, but it definitely provides and accurate description of the book's contents. Written by Andrew Dorenenburg and Karen Page, this book is packed full of great information that will help you present and enjoy complete meals that appeal to the palate in the best possible way.
What You'll Learn
You'll learn a lot about how to pair foods and wines from this book. More than just a how-to guide, the book includes great information about fully enjoying food and drinks. You'll learn about what sommeliers do, and why it's important to properly match what you drink with what you eat.
Some of the most interesting facts that I gleaned from the book include:
- Things that grow together go together. This means that foods and beverages from the same regions tend to be complementary.
- Ideas for trying to types of beverages based on what I know I like. The book includes an "if you like X, then try X" chart.
- How to balance taste components of food and wine. For example, it's important to balance salty foods with acidic or sweet wines.
- Recommendations for different types of beverages to stock at home.
- Tips for pairing wines with international cuisine.
How You'll Use the Book
What to Drink with What You Eat provides an easy to use guide format. You can look up different types of foods, which are listed in alphabetical order, and find detailed suggestions for the perfect beverage pairings. Those who prefer to start with a beverage and look for corresponding meal ideas will be pleased by the reverse directory, which allows them to look up drinks and find recommended food pairings.
The book is a beautiful volume, full of color and black and white food photography. It will make an excellent addition to your kitchen bookshelves, or serve as a terrific conversation piece as a coffee table book.
Other Books by the Authors:
Andrew Dorenenburg and Karen Page are the James Beard award winning authors of Becoming a Chef and Culinary Artistry
