You’ve heard of pairing the perfect bottle of wine with your food, but what about a great strain of cannabis? Now that marijuana is more widely available to the public, the art of cannabis food pairing is becoming more popular for unique dinner parties and gatherings. Just like food and wine pairings, the right weed strain can enhance the dining experience and bring out flavor notes.
Creating the perfect weed pairing isn’t difficult as long as you know the basics. Here are a few tips to get you started.
It Starts With Terpenes
Compounds called terpenes give marijuana strains different aromas. Each strain has a combination of terpenes that give it a unique flavor. Once you learn more about strains and their profiles, you can match those notes with different foods.
Terpenes are also naturally found in food, too. Not only that, but research shows that terpenes also have a number of health benefits. For thousands of years, people have used the terpenes contained in essential oils for therapeutic effects.
Complementing and Enhancing Flavors
If you want to pair a meal with marijuana products, you need to plan your food and cannabis menu so that the flavors play off each other. Besides getting your guests a little high, a good pairing elevates the meal overall. Selecting strains that bring out the flavors of each meal creates a sensation for the senses your guests will remember and delight in.
What’s fun about cannabis food pairings is that you can decide if you want the flavor profiles to either complement or contrast with the flavors in your food. It will enhance the flavors either way. For example, a strain with lemon notes, such as Super Lemon Haze, can match the flavors in a lemony pasta or fish main course, or the citrus notes of a tart dessert. Or you can balance out the citrus notes with something sweet so that the flavors aren’t all the same.
Consuming and Cooking With Cannabis
Beginners to pairing food and weed might need a little help. The next time you visit your dispensary, ask your budtender for advice. It’s good to have some dishes in mind, or at least the notes you’re working with, like sweet, citrus, or spicy. Your budtender can choose some strains with higher levels of terpenes, as these will have stronger notes. From there, sniff the strains to get a sense of their aromas and if you can pick out any of the particular terpenes.
If you haven’t thought about dishes yet, consider the flavors you would like to serve and describe them to your budtender. They can think of strains that have the aromas you’re looking for. Sniffing those strains can inspire your cooking.
When it comes to cannabis food pairing, you’re going to get the notes and aromas from flower. However, you can cook with cannabis by infusing it into oil, butter, or even alcohol if you would like to take the experience a step further.
Infusing marijuana into butter or oil makes it very versatile for both booking and baking. You can use both in savory dishes and sweet desserts. Be mindful of how much you’re consuming if you plan to both smoke and consume food and drink infused with cannabis, as edibles can sneak up on you.
Winning Combinations To Try
Some flavors work better with weed pairing than others. As you put together your menu, stick to foods that have spicy, sweet, or umami profiles. Some fatty foods work well, too, such as oily fish, cheese, or creamy pasta. You’ll want foods with a little fat in them if you plan on cooking with cannabis.
If you’ve never tried weed pairings before, start easy with a charcuterie board. Load it up with some of your favorite cheeses, thinking about flavors and textures, as well as some meats, fruits, nuts, and olives. It’s easy, a little indulgent, and the flavors are easy to pair with many different strains. Kushberry is a good strain to pair with cheeses and fruits to bring out the sweet notes.
Here are some strains that pair well with food:
- Lemon Haze: The citrus notes work well with a lemony dessert or a zesty main dish featuring seafood, like salmon or shrimp.
- Blue Dream: This strain is fruity and sweet, so pair it with something featuring berries. This could be a dessert or a hearty salad with some strawberries thrown in.
- Durban Poison: Its sweet and spicy notes go well with Asian cuisines, like sushi, Indian or Thai.
- Sour Diesel: This strain is quite pungent and strong, so balance it out with the contrasting flavors of a chocolate-filled dessert.
- Golden Goat: This strain has a little of everything, including spicy, sweet, and sour notes. Try pairing it with something bold, like teriyaki, barbecue, or even Hawaiian pizza.
Get All Your Favorite Weed Products at DDM Cannabis
Located in Blackstone, DDM Cannabis is proud to serve the surrounding community in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We carry a top-notch selection of your favorite strains and cannabis products at competitive prices. You’re bound to find something that you enjoy.
Our passionate team of experts stays on top of the latest news and products in the weed world. We can answer all your questions and make the best recommendations, no matter what kind of night you’re looking for or how you prefer to use cannabis. Stop in DDM Cannabis today to find your next favorite strain to pair with some tasty dishes!
