Odd Tastefellows

Sometimes food flavor  combos are a wild ride. Any one food can be surprisingly paired with another for a new taste. There are no barriers anymore. Anything goes.

This idea fascinated me when I discovered a New York Times Food recipe for a hot cheese and sauerkraut(!) toast . It struck me as a really odd combination (and one I will definitely make and feature in a future post). there are also sliced jalapeno peppers in this melange of strange.It's first toasting any kind of dark or rustic bread in the broiler and then topping with the kraut , cheddar and peppers. The sauerkraut is drained before hand and cooking it supposedly mellows out that tart, fermented flavor. It turns out that the classic Reuben sandwich also has this cabbage combo. However there is a huge layering of corned beef  and Thousand Island dressing, This salty and sweet combo tempers the sauerkraut making it palatable. You could also try kimchee for a spicier version however I think this Korean classic would be better with rice or stuffed into dumplings. As for the sauerkraut, traditional German main dishes go with this traditional Teutonic side dish. Yes you could have it topping hot dogs which came from Frankfurt but it also makes a good side for any wurst. Pork also pairs well with it, whether it's a roast or chops. Yet other recommend it on avocado toast or adding zing to fish tacos and nachos. To each his or her own.

Many people have other strange pairings that they love. "The Gikded Age"'  actor Louisa Jacobson recently confessed to Jimmy Kimmel that she had a thing for a pickles and peanut butter sandwich. Again, I don;t see the attraction  of this yet I guess it works. Peanut butter has always been great with chocolate as we know (hence Reese's peanut butter cups) and even apples or celery. It goes hand and hand with grape jelly.Yet there are whole websites devoted to peanut butter and pickles.We all have our own strange food combos. For years - and even now - I've always slathered ketchup  on my ham sandwiches.Mayo was always too rich for me. Mustard was too bitter tasting. The ketchup's sweetness worked with the ham's blend of salty and sweet. They seemed and to me are right together. Ketchup doesn;t work for  chicken or even roast beef  sandwiches. I don;t even like it on my hamburgers , preferring to dip the burger in a big puddle of ketchup and eat it like one would a French dip sandwich. Again, this is just me.

People will go for whatever makes their tastes buds happy. Sometimes it's traditional. Once in a while though two desperate flavors line up and create something different. It may not be your cup of tea but for someone else it works.