Tea ceremony has been a traditional way of entertaining guests since ancient times, but tea alone is a bit thin.
A pot of good tea, paired with corresponding snacks, can complement each other!
The main benefits of pairing snacks with tea are as follows:
First: It can enhance the taste. The taste of tea can be light, strong, bitter, and sweet. The rich flavors of snacks can complement it. For example, when drinking green tea, it is paired with slightly sweet mung bean cakes. The bitterness of tea and the sweetness of mung bean cakes blend together to enrich the taste experience.
Second: It can balance gastrointestinal irritation. Tea has a certain stimulating effect on the stomach, especially drinking tea on an empty stomach or drinking strong tea. Snacks can relieve this irritation to a certain extent.
Third: It can increase satiety. Snacks can provide energy and satiety. When people are at leisure or in afternoon tea time, drinking tea with snacks can allow people to enjoy the fragrance of tea while replenishing a certain amount of energy to relieve hunger.
So, how to pair snacks to taste delicious food. Without overshadowing the main flavor and affecting the taste of the tea soup?
The following are some common tea and snack pairing recommendations:
Green tea with sweet
Snacks recommended: Flower cakes, osmanthus cakes, mung bean cakes, etc.
Pairing reason: Green tea tastes sweet and refreshing, but it may be slightly bitter. Pairing with slightly sweet snacks can neutralize the bitterness without covering up the fresh taste of the green tea itself.
Black tea with sour
Snacks recommended: Raisins, plums, small cakes, etc.
Pairing reason: Black tea is fermented, the aroma is high, the soup is bright red, and the taste is like honey. Pairing with sweet and sour snacks can neutralize the greasy feeling brought by the high fragrance of black tea and make the taste more layered.
Black tea with oil
Recommended snacks: beef jerky, pork pie, egg yolk crisps, dried tofu
Reasons for pairing: Black tea has a rich and mellow aroma, a soft and strong taste, a strong aged aroma, and a good effect of removing greasiness. It is suitable for pairing with meat and high-protein salty and fragrant snacks to balance the mellow taste of black tea.
White tea with light
Recommended snacks: dragon beard crisps, walnut crisps, yam cakes, etc.
Reasons for pairing: White tea is a slightly fermented tea, which tastes sweet and not bitter. It is suitable for pairing with fresh and non-greasy snacks, which complements the elegant taste of white tea.
Oolong with salty
Recommended snacks: melon seeds, peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc.
Reasons for pairing: Oolong tea has a diverse aroma and a domineering and fresh taste. Pairing with salty and fragrant snacks can complement each other in taste. Tea and snacks complement each other.
The pairing of tea and tea snacks is not only a complement in taste, but also a collision of cultures.
Whether it is traditional Chinese dim sum or Western afternoon tea, under the tea fragrance, the encounter between tea and tea snacks always brings a different surprise.