In a great gastronomic country like France, food and wine pairings – also abusively called foodpairing – are sacred. One can be a little impressed by the idea of embarking on food and rum pairings . However, today, rum is no longer only perceived as a festive alcohol, but also as a high-quality spirit . It is high time to reveal its full potential.
The diversity of rum is also an incredible asset. The aromatic palette it offers is immense, from white rum to very old rum, from agricultural to molasses, from Japan to Brazil… The pairings with certain ingredients or certain dishes are still not very widespread, and not so obvious in truth, but there is no risk in getting started and experimenting !
Some basics to get started
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is to associate rums with their terroir . So you can't go wrong tasting a Guatemalan chocolate with a Botran 18 for example, or a Colombian coffee tiramisu with a Coloma 15 years old.
We are talking about desserts or sweet dishes here, which is the most obvious, but we can also think of savory combinations . Still in a local spirit, the combination of an i'a ota (Tahitian raw fish) and a 50% Manutea is simply sublime.
The possibilities already begin to open up when we know that rum can work from aperitif to dessert . But we won't stop there, since we can also move away from exotic cuisines to try more original combinations. Foie gras and cheese (we'll come back to this later) are excellent examples.
Alliances in practice
As with rum-cigar pairings, to which we have devoted several articles ( Cigar and rum pairings and meeting with Jean-Marie Cornec ), several harmonies can be put in place. Let's take the example of foie gras to illustrate this:
– Some sweet and sugary rums easily resonate with the roundness and richness of foie gras. This is the case for a good number of Latin American rums such as El Pasador de Oro, Pacto Navio or the Peruano 8 years old from Rum Nation. These rums advantageously replace the traditional Sauternes and even bring more pep and spices. They would even tend to do the work of gingerbread and chutney, which can be put aside in these cases to avoid overbidding.
– Looking for contrast is another path to follow. Thus, we can choose a good cask strength rum that will melt the foie gras in the mouth and make its flavors explode. This breaks the very rich side of the foie gras and thus avoids nausea. This time, a small touch of chutney is recommended, it will bring a fruity nuance. We can quite easily start with an agricultural rum like this O Reizinho Gold 57% .
– In the best case, the alliance is such that food and rum produce a synergy of aromas, thus creating a new harmony. You will have to do some tests, but we can already give you some successes 😉
The Manutea VO brut de fût selected by our team is a powerful rum that takes foie gras to another universe. With a woody note that structures it, fruits that perfume it and an exotic pepper that maintains the pleasure, the length in the mouth is incredibly tasty.
The 2014 Bielle works in a similar way, literally making the foie gras melt in your mouth. This creates a kind of sweet/savory cream of rare elegance and complexity.
Some concrete examples
Before you explore and create new chords yourself, here are some tried and tested examples:
Hampden / Roquefort
Foursquare / Coconut crab cake
New Grove 10 / Sheep’s Tomme
Mount Gay XO / Scallops with butter
Xaymaca Plantation / Exotic Fruit Salad
Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve / Banana Cake
Appleton Rare Blend 12 / Orangettes
Longueteau 62% / Sea bream ceviche
Dos Maderas 5+5 / Chocolate fondant
Three Rivers Ocean Vintage / Oysters
Saint James VSOP / Chicken Korma
Neisson 52.5 Organic / Sushi – Sashimi – Maki
...
Up to you !
Now that you know the principle (which is precisely an absence of principles!), you can get started. Two methods are available to you.
Starting with a single dish that you want to pair, you can try several rums from your collection. Or you can taste a rum and let yourself be carried away by the evocations it evokes (the sea, fruits, smoke, spices, etc.) and find a recipe that comes close.
Here are a few ideas to help you, with unmissable pairings by type of rum (we have left aside chocolate and desserts which work with almost all rums):
White agricultural rum (cachaça and other pure juice or aguardentes included)
Marinated raw fish, shellfish, comté, beaufort, accras…
Amber agricultural rum
Comté matured for 24 months, old Gouda, white meats or tuna in sweet/savory or with fruit…
Old or very old agricultural rum
Very old cheeses or strong cheeses like Munster, tagines with prunes/apricots (generally, meat and dried fruits), smoked fish (excellent pairing!), dry-cured ham, foie gras, duck breast, etc.
White molasses rum (Jamaica type)
Thai papaya salad, avocado ferocity, bottarga…
Amber and old molasses rum (dry)
Antipasti, Asian dishes (noodles, etc.), tomme, cheddar, smoked fish, spicy white meats, etc.
Amber and old molasses rum (sweet)
Foie gras, white meats with fruit, caramelized pork, vanilla fish, spicy bites…
Red and white meats in sauce (colombos, Indian dishes, etc.), game, honey-glazed meats, smoked fish, etc.
Don’t hesitate to send us your ideas and your successful (or failed!) alliances, enjoy your tasting!
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Many thanks to Jérôme from the excellent blog and Youtube channel Rhum Héritage for the cover photo.
Thanks also to Romain from the Rhum Club Poitou Charentes for the beautiful photos taken during food and rum evenings regularly organized for enthusiasts in the region.
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