How to Taste & Pair Food with Cannabis

One of the most exciting elements of cannabis, in a culinary sense, is its
ability to interface with food and drink in very interesting and powerful
ways. Much like a dry, acidic, citrus-forward rosé is the perfect partner
to a piece of seared fish, the uncanny citrus qualities of Tangie, for
example, complement a ponzu-soaked piece of sashimi.

Today’s modern cannabis products, such as separated terpenes, can give you
incredible versatility, creating a rich dining experience as aroma and
flavor notes bounce back and forth.

While you are able to impart some complementary or contrasting flavors with
infusion methods that use lower heat, or by adding terpenes directly to
food, you can also have great success pairing cannabis flavors with food
via smoked or vaporized cannabis, specifically high-terpene concentrates.
And, unlike alcohol, cannabis’s ability to bring the user up or down with
its different effects gives it an additional layer of experience, so a
cannabis sommelier can start a meal with an uplifting, bright variety and
end it with a rich, relaxing one.

When planning a cannabis-pairing dinner, think about the strongest flavor
elements in the food and try to play off of those. Often, the most intense
element is not the main protein or starch but rather a sauce or herbal
component of a dish that makes it unique.

Try to think about contrasting flavors as much as complementary ones; it’s
not always about picking something that tastes similar or goes with the
dish in a conventional sense. An intriguing pairing can surprise guests and
make them appreciate both the food and the cannabis more than they would
have either on its own.

To help you get started with understanding the ways to pair and contrast
with cannabis, the following are some of the most common scent and flavor
categories that you’ll come across.
Acrid

One function of terpenes is to deter predators from eating or otherwise
damaging the plants. To do this, sometimes certain varieties will emit a
smell that can be described as foul or overwhelming. Over the last decade,
connoisseurs have tended to seek out these varieties, with the incredibly
pungent, sharp scents cutting right through the overmatched plastic bag or
jar attempting to keep them at bay. Known as “gassy” or “sour,” these
flavors can include elements of kerosene, glue, skunk, tires, rubber and
bad breath.

While smoking something that smells like the old tennis balls in your
grandpa’s attic may not seem like an activity you want to do, these
varieties also tend to be some of the most potent and unique, often with
hordes of fans obsessing over their subtle differences. Pairing a gassy
strain can be difficult, but these tend to do best with dishes that will
stand up to them, such as smoked meats and herb-forward sauces (think
chimichurri), but they also go suspiciously well with coffee.

Some of the most notorious gassy, acrid varieties are Chemdog, Gorilla
Glue, Headband, any OG Kush variety, Sour Diesel and Triangle Kush.
Citrusy

While other flavor categories often have hints of citrus in the mix, there
are some strains that have such a strong and uncanny citrus aroma that it’s
at times hard to distinguish them from the real thing. The presence of
limonene (which is found in grapefruit, lime and lemon oils) is generally
the reason a strain smells citrusy, but whether they smell like sweet lemon
candy or garlic and lemon depends on the specific ratio and combination of
other terpenes present.

Citrusy varieties tend to be mentally uplifting and physically invigorating
just like limonene itself, which makes sense because you more commonly find
citrus-heavy flavors in strains that have traditionally been described as
sativa. To pair most effectively with citrus varieties, think about how
you’d use citrus in cooking; it’s usually best to help brighten up a dish
or add a lasting aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

Some varietals that exhibit a citrus-dominant aroma and flavor are
Grapefruit, Jack’s Cleaner, Jilly Bean, Lemon Diesel, Lemon G-13, Lemon
Tree, Orange Cookies, Papaya, Soma’s New York City Diesel (NYCD) and Tangie.
Earthy

Like some of the more complex and challenging wines of the world, cannabis
has a whole host of rich, dank, earthy flavors present at times. Leather,
smoke, coffee, soil, peat and vegetation are some of the terms used to
describe such strains, which tend to have been categorized as indicas over
time. These varieties are often relaxing or sleep-inducing, perhaps due in
part to the presence of terpenes such as myrcene and beta-caryophyllene,
both of which are thought to have anti-anxiety properties.

Some rich and earthy varieties include Bruce Banner, Bubba Kush, Deadhead
OG, Deep Chunk, Girl Scout Cookies, Hindu Kush, LA Confidential, Master
Kush, Sour Bubble and Sunset Sherbert.
Floral

Cannabis is a flower after all, so it’s expected that some varieties simply
smell light and fragrant like other flowers. While certain strains kick
down the door to your brain like a sensory SWAT team, others lightly dance
in — calming and tranquil, blending in rather than taking over. One terpene
that is very common in floral varieties is linalool, which is also the most
common terpene, found in lavender and many other botanicals such as bay
laurel, coriander and sweet basil. These strains can range from very soft,
pleasing scents to slightly more complex, grassy ones. Floral aromas are
great to use in dishes such as subtly flavored baked goods and to scent
sauces and drizzles in unobtrusive ways.

Floral varieties of cannabis include Blackberry Kush, DJ Short’s Flo, Grape
Ape, Grape Stomper, Lavender, Purple Urkle, Strawberry Cough and UK Cheese.
Herbal

The general flavor present in cannabis can be described as “herbal.” Though
this admittedly covers a huge variety of scents, they are similar in that
they can be found in other herbs such as rosemary, sage and eucalyptus, and
also in things like pine trees. The most common terpenes in herbal
varieties tend to be alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, beta-caryophyllene,
humulene and terpinolene, the combination of which can cover the spectrum
from the tangy citrus spice of a Jack Herer to the pine-forward floral
sweetness of a Maui.

Common herbal varieties include Blue Dream, Jack Herer, Malawi, Mango Haze,
Maui, S.A.G.E., Super Silver Haze and Trainwreck.
Sweet and/or Fruity

The first time you smell weed that is truly sweet, it’s a life-changer.
Since the odor that most casual users associate with cannabis is along the
acrid, skunky side of things (because that’s the way smoke usually smells),
they’re often totally surprised to find aromas ranging from lemon drops to
cotton candy to green papaya, or a combination of ten sweet things all
rolled into one.

Sweet varieties usually run a spectrum from the almost creamy, neutral
sugary side to the tangy, tropical fruit side, all of which offer a lot of
options when it comes to pairing. Though it’s tempting to pair sweet with
sweet, it is often more interesting to use the sweet strains as a way to
cut through something acidic or to enhance something herbal. If a strain
has the distinct qualities of a specific fruit, sometimes the flavor will
come through clearly enough to replace the actual fruit in a recipe,
similarly to the way you can use a fruit extract.

Common strains that fit into this category include Banana Kush, Blueberry,
Bubblegum, Cinderella 99, Island Sweet Skunk, Lemon Skunk, Purple Urkle,
Super Lemon Haze, Vanilla Kush and Zkittlez.

*Originally excerpted in the print edition of Cannabis Now.*

The post How to Taste & Pair Food with Cannabis appeared first on Cannabis
Now.