“Yes please! And a spot of that lovely parmesan cheese if you would.”
Condiments, the piquant seasonings and spicy flavours that add a final touch of magic to any meal. The key to the art of complimentary condiments is to match the spice to the dish. Think of fish and chips and you can already smell the salt and vinegar. Aficionados wouldn’t think of starting out on their sausage egg and chips without a spot of tomato ketchup on the side and where would the true gourmand be without their HP sauce? France, probably.
But what about coffee and pepper? Unusual to say the least. Well, this was the adventurous direction taken by one anonymous Powder Monkey early yesterday morning as they sleepily added a sachet of what they presumed to be sugar to a large steaming cup of latte.
A spot of muttering and a some remedial spooning soon recovered the situation to drinkable levels, however this did set off some interesting trains of thought.
The arena of beverage personalisation is currently dominated by the giant that is sugar. Cubed, white, brown, crystallised and Demerara, it truly is a crystal for all occasions. It doesn’t always have things its own way though. A few years ago a couple of the Monkeys enjoyed a delicious cup of hot chocolate flavoured with chilli pepper. All agreed it was a masterpiece. But where would you go from there, what unusual condimentary opposites might attract? A spot of garlic in your tea? A spot of salad dressing in your tomato soup? Probably not.
As always, the lessons are simple ones, read the label. Right where’s that cup of hot buttered Horlicks?
1 comment:
I would just like to clarify the events of "The Pepper Incident", it was actually a glass pot of pepper that looked suspiciously like cocoa, therefore ideal for application to my latte.
And it actually augmented the taste of said coffee to such a degree that I recommend it to anybody.
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