The Beer and Food Companion

Book excerpt: The Beer and Food Companion is set to become a classic reference for anyone wishing to pair beer and food, to cook with beer or to discover the delights of both the traditional and modern art of the beer sommelier. Beer has been drunk with food for thousands of years yet only now is it being appreciated as the perfect companion to food. It is even better than wine for pairing with cheese, for example. Tracing the history of beer and food matching, this book educates your palate to recognise the characteristics of a flavoursome beer, with delicious recipes that allow you to cook, pair and appreciate your ale at a whole new level. Profiles of key chefs, restaurateurs, beer experts, beer sommeliers and cicerones from around the world zone in on the new and exciting world of beer and food matching, including London pub The Bull, Restobières in Brussels and Higgins Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Charts for Beer & Food and Food & Beer pairing provide at-a-glance perfect matches for easy reference when you are sourcing beer. With expert knowledge on the art of marrying flavour and cooking with beer you will quickly come to recognise the rich and rewarding combination of porter and chocolate desserts, the delicate counterbalance of a wheat beer with seafood, or the pleasing combination of a hoppy pale ale with a mild curry.