10 Foods To Pair Green Tea With

Green tea gets its name from the natural and lush green colors of the tea leaves. Unlike other teas, green tea is lightly oxidized which allows the tea leaves to maintain their natural green color. Similarly to wine, green tea can be paired with certain foods to enhance the flavors of the green tea and the paired food. In this article, we'll explore different foods that you can pair with green tea from different countries for the great tasting results. 

The wonders of pairing tea with food

Just like how we add spices to our food, tea can bring out the best flavor of food when the pairing is right. It’s the same as adding seasoning to a soup or marinating a chicken. Green tea is wonderful for its plethora of health benefits, but it's also an incredibly flexible beverage that can be paired with a variety of different dishes from all over the world. 

There are actually 3 flavors of green tea with different food pairings

If you’re not much of a tea connoisseur then you may not have known that there are numerous varieties of green tea, and each one has a unique aroma. While China alone has over a thousand tea flavors, here are some of the main flavors you might come across in Japan, China, and Sri Lanka.

• Vegetal Green Tea: Vegetal green tea usually comes from Japan. An example of Japanese green tea is Sencha green tea. It has a grassy flavor that can be compared to seaweed. It's paired best with seafood, which is why it’s popular in Japan to have tea when eating sushi.
• Smoky Green Tea: Smoky green tea is commonly produced in China. It got its name from the slight smokiness it gets from manufacturing. They’re paired best with food that have stronger flavor profiles. Examples of food to pair with smoky green tea are chicken, turkey, light stir-fry, root vegetables, and light style pizzas. Smoky green tea doesn’t go well with sweets as it brings out the bitterness of the tea.
• Fruity Green Tea: Fruity green tea is mostly associated with India or Sri Lanka. They’re paired best with light meats like chicken. Greasy or deep-fried light meats don’t go well with it. They’re sometimes used as iced tea because of the natural sweetness. Because of this natural sweetness, fruity green tea is paired well with fruit salads, sandwiches, and unsweetened pastries. 

10 foods that pair well with green tea

For some of us, one cup of green tea is not enough! Check below some of our favorite foods that pair well with green tea with for a wonderful tea experience full of rich flavors and culture.

1. Seafood provides a grassy and a bitter aftertaste that’s good for the palate

Vegetal green teas, such as sencha green tea are the perfect pairing for seafood dishes. They help enhance each other’s flavors that result in a unique combination in the mouth and leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste that makes you want for more.

2. Japanese food and green tea is a healthy combination packed with a ton of flavor

Japan’s cuisine contains mainly seafood and noodles which pairs perfectly with green tea. If you want to experience a Japanese style of drinking tea, you should try sencha tea paired with Japanese cuisines such as sashimi, sushi, udon and unagi (grilled eel).

Sencha has a balance of acidity and sweetness that pairs well with the delicate flavors of Japanese cuisine. In turn, Japanese cuisine also enhances the flavor of Sencha green tea making this pairing a heavenly match.

3. Chocolate based desserts are actually great when paired with green tea

Chocolate contains cocoa which gives it a bitter taste. Dark chocolate contains more cocoa compared to other chocolates giving it an intensely bitter taste. You’ll want to pair it with a fruity green tea to harmonize the flavors from the bitterness of cocoa and sweetness from the green tea. 

If you’re looking to eat sweet chocolates like milk chocolate, a vegetal green tea is a better pairing. The slightly bitter and vegetal taste of green tea helps enhance the sweet flavor of chocolate.

4. Instead of beer, try green tea with barbeque

Green tea can also be an alternative to beer for a barbeque. Especially if you’re not a beer drinker or trying to quit drinking, green tea can be a great and healthy alternative for you.

Gunpowder green tea in particular pairs great with barbeque foods. It’s wood-barrel-smoky flavor compliments well with the taste of smoky barbequed meats. 

5. Pan-Fried Chicken and green tea is a favorite among Chinese cuisines

The smoky flavor you get from smoky green tea pairs well with pan-fried chicken. Smoky green tea helps reduce the greasy mouth feeling you get from eating pan-fried chicken. That’s why Chinese accompany tea like oolong when eating greasy or oily foods.

If you’re preparing pan-fried turkey for the holidays, green tea also pairs well with it. If you want a really great combination, go for Chinese green tea. You also experience a different blend of green tea and experience how China consumes their tea.

6. Green tea and pizzas with root vegetable toppings actually pair well together

Smoky green teas in particular with their strong flavors helps balance out the flavor you taste from root vegetables in pizza giving you a unique blend of flavor in your mouth. 

7. Unsweetened pastries with green tea is a great starter for afternoon tea

Fruity green teas make unsweetened pastries taste a lot sweeter because of the natural sweetness. This is great for afternoon tea parties if you don’t want to consume sugar or if you have a guest who doesn’t want to eat sugary snacks.

8. Whole wheat bread and green tea makes for an energizing breakfast

Whole wheat and green tea are great healthy food choices and can make for a nutritious breakfast. Starting your morning with this pairing can kickstart your metabolism for a productive day. Fruity green tea helps add flavor to whole wheat bread that doesn’t have much flavor.

9. Fruit salads paired with green tea is perfect for a summer day

Fruit salads and green tea is a taste of healthy sweetness. Not only does this provide good sugars, but it won’t make you hungrier, unlike refined sugars. Fruit salad and green tea combined can help alleviate your sugar cravings.

The natural sweetness in them doesn’t do harm to your body. However, too much of anything is a bad thing so consume in moderation.

10. Sandwiches and green tea is a delightful snack packed with rich flavors

A sandwich on its own already contains a mixture of flavor that really satisfies your mouth. You pair it with green tea and those flavors are enhanced. Make sure you use fruity green tea as it’s the best pairing for sandwiches.

Final Thoughts

Tea is a very versatile beverage you can pair up with almost any food. Tea also varies in flavor. Be mindful of what tea you’re drinking before pairing it with food. You can try and experiment with other food and you may find a new combination of flavor that will satisfy you.

 

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