Find three foods that all three do not go together (by any reasonable definition),
but every pair of them does.
The above problem - rated D4 by me - worried the eminent mathematician George W. Hart ( scientist, sculptor and co-founder of MoMath)
for over 25 years, so he published in 2003 (revised in 2010)
a long paper dedicated to food pairing and summing up the various candidate solutions to the bolded problem.
Please read his essay (available on the web - named as this puzzle) prior to climbing your discovery train.
Bon voyage!
I must mention that obviously the 3 foods must be distinct products
so a solution like a=b=c=a long shot of vodka
does not qualify as an answer.
Many flavors go together, but if you combine too many of sweet, salty, sour, bitter it can be gross.
Here's a trio I wouldn't want together, but each duo is served.
Salt, Chocolate, Grapefruit
salted chocolate, of course
chocolate covered grapefruit is good too but has to be sweet
salt on grapefruit. I remember my grandmother eating it this way and it really is a thing (but I've not tried it): https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/11/14/491376510/grapefruit-and-salt-the-science-behind-this-unlikely-power-couple
I couldn't see doing all three. The bitter and sour of the grapefruit with both the salt and sweet sounds gross.
I though of replacing the fruit. A recipe for chocolate covered watermelon calls for sprinkling with sea salt so that probably goes.
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Posted by Jer
on 2021-04-27 10:58:46 |
Any answer is subjective but here's a contender
