Nuts and Seeds ~ Food Pairing
Nuts
Almonds – cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, raspberries, vanilla, coffee, brandy and, surprisingly, butternut squash and pumpkin. Marzipan, being made of almonds it tastes good with cherries and stone fruit generally and also pears, chocolate and fruit cake.
Brazil Nuts – bananas and dates.
Cashews – Asian flavours such as soy, sesame, ginger, chilli, garlic, black pepper, coconut, chicken and cucumber.
Chestnuts – chocolate, honey, red wine, Madeira, caramelised onion, game, brussels sprouts, sage and thyme.
Coconut – sweet potatoes, citrus, seafood, chicken, rice, tropical fruits, vanilla, chocolate, ginger, chillies, curry and spicy foods in general.
Hazel Nuts aka Cobnuts or Filberts – chocolate coffee, apples and pears, cherries, peaches, plum and caramel.
Pistachios – honey, orange, cardamom, dried fruit, yogurt, sugar, goat cheese, ricotta, cranberries, apricots
Peanuts – these are actually legumes but I feel this is the place for them! Asian spicy flavours, cinnamon, bananas, chocolate honey and, particularly in America, jelly aka jam.
Pecans go well with maple syrup, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, butterscotch pecans and bourbon.
Walnuts – dark chocolate, coffee, blue cheese in particular and cheeses in general, apples, pears, celery, honey, maple syrup and bananas.
Seeds
Caraway Seeds – German and Eastern European cooking and taste well with apples, potatoes, cabbage and in rye bread.
Pine Nuts – (despite their name they are generally considered to be seeds) basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, feta cheese, mozzarella, goat cheese, sage, black olives.
Poppy Seeds – lemon and orange, honey, dried fruit, sugar and generally sweet things.
Pumpkin Seeds – pumpkin, of course, squash, oats, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, sea salt, goat cheese, soy, sage, caramelised onions and are popular in Mexican cooking.
Sesame Seeds – honey, garlic, coriander, miso, sea salt, chickpeas, tofu, soy, wasabi and ginger and Asian flavours generally.
Sunflower Seeds – honey, oats, maple syrup, dried fruit, yogurt, sea salt and wheat flour – add them to bread.
