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The Great 28: Fab Foods to Pair with Cheese


Great 28

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.

Everything bagel

1. Bagels

The doughy New York classic gets the dairy treatment it deserves


caviar

2. Caviar

Put some (fish) eggs on it


Shochu3. Shochu

Reach to the East for a fab curd-friendly tipple


celery salad
4. Celery

This versatile veg isn’t just for dieters anymore


maple syrup5. Maple

On tap? Sappy, satisfying pairings


coconut flakes

6. Coconut

Yes, we’re cuckoo for coconuts


Home classic hummus with celery, pitoy.Vid top on gray concrete background. Vegan Food Concept.Home classic hummus with celery, pita. View top on gray concrete background. Vegan Food Concept.7. Chickpeas

Is there anything the garbanzo bean can’t do?


fruitcake8. Fruitcake

Don’t regift these confections: Eat ’em with cheese


goat9. Goat

Get your goat—it’s pairing time


hot sauce10. Hot Sauce

This condiment is on fire right now


IPA and cheese11. IPAs

Go beyond hop bombs with these buzzy styles


Jerky12. Jerky

Where’s the beef? Not in these tasty snacks


seltzer bubbles13. Seltzer

Curds love sparkling water—just like everyone else does


kimchi14. Kimchi

Curds find a funky, fermented friend


seaweed15. Seaweed

Think beyond the Philadelphia roll


lingonberries16. Lingonberries

The Ikea mainstay meets its match in the dairy drawer


perry17. Perry

Cider’s cousin is ready to shine


pesto18. Pesto

The ’80s are back—on your cheese plate, that is


Quince fruits on a white wooden background. Quince fruits.19. Quince

This forgotten fruit is on a comeback tour


truffles20. Truffles

These buried culinary treasures are tantalizing cheese mates


21. Shrubs

Sweet and tart, drinking vinegars are dairy sweethearts


sourdough pretzels22. Sourdough

Fermentation brings the funk in this tasty partnership


tinned fish23. Tinned Fish

A fresh take on surf and turf


waffles24. Waffles

Hot off the press—just add curds


greens25. Wild Greens

It’s only natural


sparkling red wine26. Sparkling Red Wines

Who says blondes have more fun?


yuca27. Yuca

Curds and cassava are meant to be


jackfruit28. Jackfruit

Think curds and tropical fruit don’t go together? You don’t know jack

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