There are a multitude of reasons to love spicy food. Some people like the kick and zest it adds to the flavor, while some like how it reminds them of their cultures’ culinary traditions. Some people are just masochists. With so many cultures that use spicy foods, there are so many ways to enjoy and diversify the experience: Mexican salsas, Indian Vindaloo American hot wings and Chinese Hot Pot, to name a few.
This week, I made a scratch masala dish consisting of a plethora of aromatics, including some dried serrano peppers, poblano peppers and chicken for protein. For the average eater, this is enough to know that there will be a kick before the savory aftertaste is met. In a way, I’m making the eater work for the prize.
The difficult part, as usual, is the investigation to find the proper wine for such a dish. We’ll get the obvious out of the way. As usual, champagne goes with almost everything. No doubt the spicy experience and the bubbling drink will create a unique dance on your tongue. The co-founder of the wine blog “Wine Folly” Madeline Puckette provided some testing and insight into perhaps another choice.
To this food thinker, the wine should act in opposition to the chemical that causes our perception of heat from eating capsicum. She wanted a wine that would cool our mouths, giving us respite and the strength to keep eating. This wine must have a low alcohol content, be served cold and have a sweet taste to coat the tongue. For Puckette, her choice was a Sweet German Riesling, but any low alcohol white wine would likely work well here.
I tested this with a Pinot Grigio from California, and I agree with Puckette’s findings and experience. This elevated the experience of eating the masala. For those further interested in wine, I recommend the content of this award-winning author and wine communicator.
Noah Gruenberg is a junior studying music composition at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Noah? Email him at ng119217@ohio.edu.
