Carnival at Home: Umami Dishes that Pair with Beers to Enjoy the Festivities

São Paulo, February 2022 – Carnival is still a bit different, but with the progress of vaccination it’s already possible to put glitter on your face, pull the costume out of the closet, and enjoy the festivities—even if it’s just with a few close friends.

To make the party even more enjoyable, the Umami Committee invited Hellen Maluly, PhD in Food Science from Unicamp, to suggest the best pairings of “umami” recipes with specialty beers.

First, Hellen explains that “pairing” comes from the Italian word abbinamento and refers to the combination of basic tastes and aromas present in foods, seasonings, and beverages. She also highlights that science has been studying people’s preferences for such sensory effects. “Scientific theories and practices report that the more similar the aromatic and palatable compounds in the food ingredients, the better the pairing. However, strong contrast also works, since acceptance depends on numerous factors, including culture and the availability of products in certain regions,” Maluly explains.

With that in mind, we’ve selected two easy recipes for the festivities: mushroom bruschetta and a special bauru sandwich. Both pair well with various beers—including refreshing pilsners—but the specialist brings a few standouts for beer enthusiasts.

Because of their intensity of flavor, mushrooms pair very well with darker beers that have notes of spice and caramel, as well as fruity references from more aromatic hops, such as red ales or brown ales.

“These beers have a medium bitterness on the palate which, as you keep sipping, tends to call for something that increases salivation so it doesn’t become unpleasant,” notes the food scientist. Maluly also explains that when mushrooms hit the skillet, the umami taste and the ingredient’s delicate texture stand out and enhance the beer’s caramel-like aromas.

For lightly cooked meats, such as roast beef, the delicious Gueuze—lambic-style beers produced in Belgium but increasingly popular in Brazil—are recommended. “Gueuze, specifically, is a beer that is spontaneously refermented with microorganisms, usually wild, which gives the beverage a slight acidic character,” Hellen clarifies. “In summer, they’re very refreshing and, together with the special bauru—which besides roast beef also includes prato and Swiss cheeses—they deliver the ideal combo to boost mouthwatering salivation, as expected from both the beer’s acidity and the pleasant umami taste,” Maluly concludes.

Check out the recipes:

MUSHROOM BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients

• 6 slices of Italian bread (batard), lightly toasted (180 g)
• 1 garlic clove (3 g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (45 ml)
• 1 cup button mushrooms, quartered (40 g)
• 1 cup fresh shimeji mushrooms, separated (70 g)
• 1 cup dried shiitake, rehydrated and chopped (25 g)
• 2 pinches salt (0.8 g)
• 1 pinch black pepper (0.2 g)
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley (5 g)

Directions

1. Place the bread slices on a tray and lightly rub the surface with the garlic clove. Set aside.
2. In a medium pan, add the olive oil and heat over high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and the rehydrated shiitake, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt and black pepper and mix gently.
3. Spoon the mushroom sauté over the bread slices, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Tips:

1. Lightly rubbing the garlic clove on the toasted bread gives it a subtle garlic flavor and aroma.
2. To rehydrate dried shiitake, place it in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 25 minutes and drain.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6

SPECIAL BAURU SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 4 French rolls (200 g)
• 300 g sliced roast beef
• 1 medium tomato, sliced (150 g)
• 2 pickled cucumbers, sliced (50 g)
• 2 cups water (400 ml)
• 150 g sliced prato cheese
• 150 g sliced Swiss cheese
• Check the list of foods rich in umami

Directions

1. Slice the rolls in half horizontally. On one half of each roll, layer the roast beef, tomato, and pickles. Set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, add the water and heat over low heat. When the water begins to bubble, add the prato and Swiss cheeses and stir with a fork until the cheeses melt and form a uniform, elastic mass.
3. Drain off and discard any excess liquid left in the skillet. Divide the melted cheese among the remaining bread halves, close the sandwiches, and serve immediately.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the persistence of the overall taste for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.