Non-Eurocentric food and wine pairings: Want to know what wine pairs well with curry, jerk chicken and jollof rice? Read this!
When it comes to food and wine pairings, the wine industry is guilty of being a little bit... lazy.
White wine: Try chicken! Or fish!
Red wine: Red meats! A steak would be great!
What about the food we actually eat? These food and wine pairing suggestions completely omit the rich culinary tapestry we enjoy in our diverse society - the spices, the sauces, the broths, the marinades. How many times have I seen on the back of a bottle: ‘Pairs well with white fish in a beurre blanc sauce.’ Beurre blanc sauce? Don’t get me wrong, I love French food, but we’re not all scholars of haute cuisine and, really, the suggestions of coq au vin and bœuf bourguignon are looking a little bit ‘70s dinner party now.
As a wine communicator, I need to move beyond Eurocentric food and wine pairings and be much more inclusive in every area when I talk about wine. I spoke to six wine professionals about their favourite food and wine pairings - and there isn’t a tomato-based pasta dish in sight.
If you love to eat food with spice, seasoning and exotic flavours - I’m talking curries, patties, fritters, marinaded meats and anything with a banging home-made rub - and want to know about the best wine pairings for it, keep reading and prepare to make your mouth water!
Nyetimber Demi-Sec English Sparkling Wine - pairs well with saltfish fritters
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Aleesha Hansel
Sparkling wine is the ideal pairing for fried foods. The high acidity in the wine cuts through the fat and the result is a gorgeous sensation in your mouth, where you have this rich, silky coating which is cleansed away by the fizz, priming your palate for another indulgent bite.
Ackee and saltfish is Jamaica’s national dish and Aleesha found a fried fritter version of it in the Community Comfort cookbook (an e-book compilation of recipes from cooks of migrant heritage, with proceeds going to Black, Asian and Ethnic minority people affected by COVID-19).
To go with the saltfish fritters, Aleesha recommends the Nyetimber Demi-Sec English Sparkling Wine. ‘Demi-sec’ is ‘half-dry’, meaning that this style of wine is sweeter than your usual ‘brut’ style of sparkling. This sweetness balances out the heat coming from the spicy scotch bonnet chillies (sugar always tames spice) and the lemon and honey tones from the wine compliment the vibrant flavours of this dish.
>Read more about sparking wine
Argentinian Malbec - pairs well with lamb curry
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Sumita Sarma
“Curries are an exotic blend of spices and tangy tomatoes. The meat gives the texture and spices add the thrill to the palate. So it’s important to pair curries with the right wine that enhances the texture of the meat, while also showing vibrancy to match with tomato tanginess.
If making a lamb curry, I recommend you to go for a creamier, fuller bodied still red wine but one which is lusciously fruit-driven as well. My recommendation here is to pair with a youthful Malbec from Argentina. Lamb has ample texture and it’s all about the zingy marinade integrating into its juicy meat. Malbec from Argentina has attractive baked fruit aromatics and their fine grained and velvety tannins are a perfect match to the texture of lamb and the the gravy.
If using chicken in your curry, I recommend you to pair with an English sparkling rosé wine. English wines are new to the world of wine but have already made a mark on the international wine scene for their unique attributes. They have an amazingly high level of freshness and mouthwatering acidity which, along with the elegant structure and crisp style of English rosé, pairs very well with chicken curries. Their bright fizz adds a long finish to leave the palate with fresh lemon grapefruit aromatics.”
New World Shiraz - pairs well with slow-cooked oxtail stew
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Womba, All For Wine
Oxtail is a very Zambian dish, whereby it is cooked very slowly in its own fats. The fats alone pack some serious flavour, so they only need to be seasoned with some salt, chilli and perhaps some rosemary, if you like the taste.
For a food and wine pairing made in heaven, Womba recommends a fruit-forward, juicy, spicy Shiraz. This full-bodied wine would square up to the richness of the dish, for an indulgent experience, and the salty oxtail would bring out the sweet berry fruits in the wine.
Womba has also enjoyed a concentrated Pinot Noir with this dish, as Pinot Noir is a wine with higher acidity and, as we know, acidity cuts through fat awesomely. If you like your oxtail stew super spicy, Pinot Noir might be a better option, as the double-spice from the Shiraz and the stew might accelerate the heat sensation in an unpleasant way.
>Read more about New World wines
Sangiovese - pairs well with jollof rice and lamb
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Kodjo
Jollof rice is a West African rice dish cooked in a single pot, which is seasoned with garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet chillies. Ingredients vary across different countries, but typically jollof rice will feature tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, red pepper and protein from red or white meats, fish and seafood or beans.
Kodjo likes to serve jollof rice with spiced lamb and a Sangiovese wine. The red fruits and high acidity of Sangiovese lasers through the juicy, fatty lamb meat. A huge fan of Italian wines, Kodjo also enjoys this dish with Primitivo and Nero d’Avola, as well as French wines, Côtes du Rhône and Syrah.
Champagne - pairs well with samosas
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Mandy Mason
Samosas are an Indian restaurant favourite, but they are just as delicious made at home and filled with anything you fancy, such as spiced potatoes, peas, onions, minced lamb or chicken. As these triangular parcels are baked or deep fried, the pastry casing becomes gorgeously crunchy and flakey, making them perfect companions for a high acidity sparkling wine. Mandy suggests a dry, crisp Champagne to go with samosas, which should offset the slight greasiness in the pastry. The saltier the snack, the more the fruit will lift in the Champagne, and if the Champagne has been aged on its lees for some time, you should get a lovely toastiness too, as well as a creamy texture.
Another of Mandy’s favourite food and wine pairings is saag aloo and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The clean, vibrant fruit in this wine enhances the subtle spice of the dish. Sauvignon Blanc’s green, vegetal, grassy notes are also a great contender for the spinach, helping both of these flavours sing.
> Read about grower Champagne
Jerk pork with Gewürztraminer - pairs well with jerk pork
Food and wine pairing suggestion by Saira, Pursuit of Grapeness
Luscious Gewürztraminer has aromas of lychee and rose and a gorgeous edge of sweetness. This is a harmonious marriage with the smoky-sweet jerk seasoning, which is based on allspice and scotch bonnet peppers.
The pork won’t overpower the fragrant Gewürtztraminer and the pairing works marvellously to create an orchestra of aromatics!
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start cooking a feast! I hope you’ve enjoyed these non-Eurocentric food pairings and will be inspired to discover some of your own.