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Flavor network and the principles of food pairing

Yong‐Yeol Ahn, Sebastian E. Ahnert, James P. Bagrow, Albert-Ĺaszló Barabási

Scientific Reports · 2011 · 477 citations · 22 references

Open access

TL;DR

Culinary practice varies culturally, prompting investigation into whether universal patterns govern ingredient combinations across cuisines. The study seeks to identify overarching principles that dictate ingredient pairings in contemporary cuisine. To address this, the authors construct a flavor network linking ingredients by shared flavor compounds. The data‑driven analysis shows Western cuisines favor shared‑compound pairs, supporting the food‑pairing hypothesis, whereas East Asian cuisines avoid them, highlighting contrasting pairing strategies and opening avenues for systematic culinary understanding.

Abstract

The cultural diversity of culinary practice, as illustrated by the variety of regional cuisines, raises the question of whether there are any general patterns that determine the ingredient combinations used in food today or principles that transcend individual tastes and recipes. We introduce a flavor network that captures the flavor compounds shared by culinary ingredients. Western cuisines show a tendency to use ingredient pairs that share many flavor compounds, supporting the so-called food pairing hypothesis. By contrast, East Asian cuisines tend to avoid compound sharing ingredients. Given the increasing availability of information on food preparation, our data-driven investigation opens new avenues towards a systematic understanding of culinary practice.