The thought of serving strawberries in a salad, cooking chicken with Nutella, dipping fries in milkshake or serving white chocolate with caviar might initially make you recoil. However, there’s often a simple scientific reason to explain why these weird and wonderful dishes work. From steak and strawberries to the latest trend for Pepsi and milk (or 'Pilk'), these strange food combinations have to be tasted to be believed.
You might be sceptical about strawberries and balsamic vinegar but this is a food pairing that lets strawberries shine. The fruit is sweet and fragile and balsamic vinegar, which is strong and syrupy, intensifies their flavour and makes them even sweeter. Traditional pairings like chocolate and cream can actually mask a strawberry’s intricate berry notes.
Pairing cacao and chilli dates back to the Aztec era. Modern chefs still swear by adding a few squares of dark chocolate to chilli con carne, like in this chilli with beef, chocolate and pumpkin recipe. The chocolate adds depth to the sauce and balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Adding chilli to chocolate is also a thing. The creamy, sweet taste of chocolate is followed by the subtle heat of chilli.
Get the recipe for chilli with beef, chocolate and pumpkin here
Miso is a tangy fermented soybean paste you’re probably used to seeing in savoury meals such as ramen. However, its salty, umami flavour complements sweet foods like chocolate and caramel too. Golden-hued miso ice cream is fast becoming a favourite at parlours around the world. Think of it as a more complex take on the salted caramel phenomenon.
The combination of peanut butter, banana and bacon sounds like it shouldn’t work. However, in a sandwich, sweet banana enhances the savoury notes of peanut butter. A couple of rashers of crisp bacon provide an extra layer of salty, crunchy, meaty decadence. It’s otherwise known as an Elvis sandwich, supposedly the King’s favourite dish (deep-fried).
Coffee makes a brilliant marinade for red meats like duck. Like red wine, coffee is acidic which helps tenderise meat, and it pairs well with its savouriness. You could also use coffee grounds as a rub with spices like cinnamon and pepper. If you’re barbecuing the meat, the rub will caramelise, forming a sweet, savoury and slightly bitter crust that helps lock in moisture.
Chocolate and vinegar is a pairing that works in two ways. Firstly, chocolate-infused balsamic vinegar has a pleasing cocoa aroma, plus a sweetness and slight bitterness. You could drizzle it on top of fruits, serve it with desserts or use it in marinades. Vinegar is also used in eggless chocolate cake. It’s an acid which reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide and make cakes rise.
Peanut butter on hamburgers is a surprising combination, but when you think of satay sauce being used as a marinade, it makes more sense. The spread adds a nutty richness to the burger and goes well with chipotle, Cheddar and bacon. It will melt on the hot patty, creating a gorgeous sticky sauce.
If you're a fan of Oreos with milk and you like orange chocolate, this unusual combination might be just for you. Like milk, the orange juice softens the cookie but also infuses the dark chocolate disc with a fresh, sweet, citrussy note.
Sweet and savoury is a classic combination: sweet and salty popcorn, peanut butter and jelly, ham and pineapple. But honey and pizza is a new one. Sweet honey balances out strong flavours like tangy cheeses, salty meats and spicy toppings. Once the pizza is cooked, drizzle over a little honey (but not if it already has a sweet sauce, like barbecue for example).
Some fast food fans love dipping fries in their milkshake. For others, it's a horrifying thought. This combination actually works because of the sweet and salty, hot and cold dynamic. The contrasts balance each other and are exciting to the tastebuds in a similar way to fried ice cream and affogato (hot coffee poured over ice cream). Also, the fries are a useful tool for scooping up ice cream when it’s too thick to suck through a straw. In 2016 McDonald’s even approved the hack by asking their Facebook followers: “What’s your favourite flavour to dunk your fries in?"
Peanut butter and raw onion work in a sandwich because peanut butter needs something sharp, fresh or crunchy to cut through the rich, thick spread – such as jam, raw apple slices or sweet onion. The raw onion isn’t as potent as it would be if eaten alone because it’s tamed by the peanut butter.
Rice with ketchup is convenience food at its finest. Plain rice can be bland, but adding ketchup provides some flavour. Try frying leftover rice with onion, carrots and peas and a squeeze of ketchup. Add a fried egg, kimchi and soy sauce for a taste sensation.
Marmite (yeast extract spread), pasta and cheese might sound like a dish cash-strapped students make, but it’s actually inspired by prolific food writer Anna del Conte’s ‘day-after-the-roast pasta’. Marmite acts like an umami-packed stock cube when melted in butter and a little cooking water from the spaghetti, making a savoury sauce. It’s great with salty Parmesan on top.
Adding lime juice, chilli and salt to fruit completely transforms its taste. Acidity brings out the natural sweetness of mango, papaya and watermelon, and intensifies their flavour. A sprinkle of salt and cayenne pepper make the fruits irresistible.
Avocado and chocolate seem an unlikely pairing, but when they’re blended together, they make a decadent dessert. Avocado is naturally creamy and mild flavoured, acting as a blank canvas for cocoa powder. Once they’re blended you can’t taste the avocado, and you can sweeten the mix with honey, maple syrup or sugar for a vegan and gluten-free chocolate mousse.
Strawberries pair well with basil because the herb has an aromatic and peppery flavour that complements, but doesn’t overpower, the sweet berry. The colourful combination works well in light, summery dishes such as in sorbet, lemonade, cocktails and cake. Try making a refreshing drink from strawberries, basil, vodka, lime, sugar syrup and soda water.
You might grimace at the thought of drizzling sriracha in a peanut butter sandwich, but the smooth, sweet peanut butter mellows the spicy sauce. The flavours are loosely similar to those in Thai cooking, where many dishes contain chilli and peanuts. It’s easy to make a quick, Thai-inspired sauce at home by mixing peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha and a squeeze of lime juice.
Chocolate milk and salt is a perfect match – salt enhances chocolate’s flavour. The combination has the classic sweet-salty dynamic, and the salt also makes the drink moreish and addictive, like salty fries, peanuts and crisps. Give it a go by adding a pinch of salt to your chocolate milk, or rim a glass of chocolate milk with salt, Margarita-style.
Olive oil and ice cream is an unexpectedly heavenly pairing. The grassy, fruity flavours of olive oil, plus a sprinkle of sea salt, heighten cream’s richness. This combo also works well with a dash of vanilla. Try it by drizzling extra virgin olive oil on top of your favourite good-quality vanilla ice cream.
Like the peanut butter and raw onion sandwich, this combination works because the juicy, crisp pickles cut through the claggy, heavy peanut butter. There’s also a sweet and sour element to it. Have it on plain or toasted bread with sweet or hot pickles and hot sauce. This pairing was popular during the Great Depression.
Pairing instant ramen and American cheese really shouldn’t work, but it really does. The hot broth melts the cheese so it turns into a creamy noodle soup. It may not be traditional, but it is quick, comforting and surprisingly delicious. You can get creative by swapping in other cheeses like Cheddar, or by adding toppings like sriracha, garlic, mushrooms and onion.
Bacon and jam aren’t two ingredients you'd immediately put together, but we think you should give it a try. In this combo, the bacon is cooked to a salty crisp – it’s never soggy – then combined with sugar, vinegar, onions and cayenne pepper to make a jam that’s thick and sticky. It’s like candied bacon, but in spread form.
Chefs love to add black pepper to fruity desserts because it brings a subtle hint of spice to the dish, while also enhancing the fruit's flavour. The trick works well with acidic fruits such as strawberries, pineapples and tart plums. It’s also good in desserts where fruit is caramelised as this mellows out the black pepper.
Marmite (yeast extract spread) and avocado are both delicious on toast, but combining them? You won’t regret giving it a go! Marmite pairs well with anything creamy like butter, melted cheese, or good old avo. Meanwhile, avocado needs something salty and high in flavour like Marmite, otherwise it’s too bland. The opposites come together to make a balanced and satisfying dish.
Most people wouldn’t dream of adding Coke to their red wine. However, in Spain, it’s a popular drink called a kalimotxo. It’s made with equal parts fizzy drink and wine, over ice. Refreshing to drink in hot weather, it's not sickly sweet like some cocktails. Kalimotxos are particularly popular with the younger generation as they're not expensive and make cheap red wine taste nicer.
Dark chocolate and beetroot add complexity to rich chocolate cakes and brownies. The overwhelming taste is chocolate, but there are subtle earthy notes of beetroot too. It also does wonders to a bake's texture and colour. The vegetable makes chocolate cakes moist and dark, and brownies dense and gooey.
Steak and strawberries is a surprising fruit and meat pairing, but the contrast between the soft, sweet strawberries and rich steak really works. You might find it appearing on menus as carpaccio with pickled strawberries or steak with strawberry sauce. If you fancy trying it at home, toss strawberries in a little balsamic vinegar and spoon over your steak – the tart and sweet notes will really cut through the richness of the meat.
You’ll find the unlikely but brilliant pairing of olives and cookies in a Portuguese dish called. simply, black olive cookies. Chopped, cured black olives are combined with orange zest in slightly salty, slightly sweet, fragrant and brittle cookies. The flavours of briny, earthy olives play off the zingy orange zest. The cookies are eaten as an accompaniment to tea and served with lemon sorbet or vanilla ice cream.
We’re not suggesting squeezing honey over your favourite packet of crisps (unless you really want to). Honey butter is a crisp flavour sold in South Korea. It's a genius pairing because honey and butter go together on nearly everything, from roasted vegetables to toast and popcorn. The crisps are sweet, salty and seriously buttery.
Salty caviar enhances the creamy flavour of white chocolate, like salt does with most foods. This combination is interesting because both foods also contain high levels of the proteins that make meat and cheese addictive, making it even more moreish. Whipping up this snack will be expensive as you'll need proper caviar – but the taste of white chocolate melting to leave the flavour of caviar on your tongue is said to be worth it.
Tuna and cocoa powder is an unusual combination, but it doesn’t work with any old fish and chocolate. You’ll need to top a sliced baguette with tuna belly, a drizzle of olive oil and grated 100% cacao to make the combo work. The chocolate provides interesting bitter, nutty notes and the olive oil brings the dish together.
Nutella and chicken is an unexpected pairing that can really work. A chocolate hazelnut marinade gives chicken a rich and nutty flavour, which stands up to strong spices. In 2019, a takeaway spot in London, England sold Nutella-marinated chicken kebabs flavoured with cumin, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. In South American cuisine, chicken mole plays on similar flavours.
Now take a look at unbelievable food hacks that simply aren't true
Tajín, a well-known condiment consisting of mild chilli peppers, sea salt and dehydrated lime, has been the perfect complement for sweet and fruity delights for a long time in Mexico, where chilli coated lollipops are standard. Now, the rest of the world is finally catching on to this delicious flavour combo. In October 2022, Pop-Tarts launched a limited-edition collaboration with the iconic spice brand. Apparently, Tajín goes perfectly with the fruit-flavoured filling, frosting and flaky crust of this childhood favourite.
Unexpected food combinations are often the result of the brave daring to try something new. Sometimes it’s chefs, and sometimes it’s just influencers being dared on TikTok – as is the case with this hot take. When a follower dared @alyssainthekitchen to turn on the heat with her summer rosé she didn’t hesitate. The result? A trend that takes cheap rosé wine (save your fancy bottles for another occasion) and pairs it with fresh sliced jalapeños for a spicy kick. It turns out the grassy, peppery notes are great at hiding the sweetness of less refined wines.
On Wednesdays, we drink Pepsi with milk. That is, at least, according to Lindsay Lohan’s recent holiday advert for Pepsi, which has taken the world by storm. Lohan has taken to social media to share this weird flavour combo: “Pepsi and milk...Pilk!” It has certainly drawn some mixed reactions. For some, the combination sounds a little stomach curdling. Others have pointed out that this is just another take on the flavours of a classic soda float, and surprisingly it kind of works.