The Great 28 is featured in our Cheese+ 2017 issue.
Everywhere you turn these days, there’s a new tropical superfruit, a fresh cider variety, a just-launched dried meat snack—all jostling for your palate. It’s overwhelming. That’s where culture comes in. We munched and sipped our way through the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, consulted chefs and other trendsetters, and devoured cookbooks and other media to land on The Great 28: a list of our favorite foods and beverages to match with wheels and wedges right now. There are surprises aplenty in the pages ahead, and although some picks are especially trendy—we see you, shrubs, seaweed, and tinned fish—they’re also tasty and extremely curd-friendly. Because while food fads may come and go, cheese is forever.
1. Bagels
The doughy New York classic gets the dairy treatment it deserves
2. Caviar
Put some (fish) eggs on it
3. Shochu
Reach to the East for a fab curd-friendly tipple
4. Celery
This versatile veg isn’t just for dieters anymore
5. Maple
On tap? Sappy, satisfying pairings
6. Coconut
Yes, we’re cuckoo for coconuts
7. Chickpeas
Is there anything the garbanzo bean can’t do?
8. Fruitcake
Don’t regift these confections: Eat ’em with cheese
9. Goat
Get your goat—it’s pairing time
10. Hot Sauce
This condiment is on fire right now
11. IPAs
Go beyond hop bombs with these buzzy styles
12. Jerky
Where’s the beef? Not in these tasty snacks
13. Seltzer
Curds love sparkling water—just like everyone else does
14. Kimchi
Curds find a funky, fermented friend
15. Seaweed
Think beyond the Philadelphia roll
16. Lingonberries
The Ikea mainstay meets its match in the dairy drawer
17. Perry
Cider’s cousin is ready to shine
18. Pesto
The ’80s are back—on your cheese plate, that is
19. Quince
This forgotten fruit is on a comeback tour
20. Truffles
These buried culinary treasures are tantalizing cheese mates
21. Shrubs
Sweet and tart, drinking vinegars are dairy sweethearts
22. Sourdough
Fermentation brings the funk in this tasty partnership
23. Tinned Fish
A fresh take on surf and turf
24. Waffles
Hot off the press—just add curds
25. Wild Greens
It’s only natural
26. Sparkling Red Wines
Who says blondes have more fun?
27. Yuca
Curds and cassava are meant to be
28. Jackfruit
Think curds and tropical fruit don’t go together? You don’t know jack
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