Just like wine, beer, and any other beverage, cider needs to be paired with the right kinds of food in order to be as delicious and refreshing as possible. There are a number of types of cider on the market and they each have different properties and flavours to enjoy. What they all have in common is that they are great with the following foods.
If you serve a dish with a cider-based or creamy sauce, you can safely enjoy with a crisp, cold bottle of cider. The same goes for creamy pastas, chicken casseroles, and pies. Leek quiche and quiche lorraine is another great partner for a bottle of cider and you can easily please your lunch guests with this combo.
Cold cuts and ham served hot or cold can be paired with cider with ease. There is something about the salty meat and the refreshin beverage that always work so well together. If you like, you can serve a salad on the side too and it will also go well with the cider you serve.
Roast pork (particularly the kind cooked and served with apples) is always a winner and the pork belly is particularly favoured among cider lovers. If you enjoy cheese, you will love pairing Camembert, Cheddar, Caerphilly, Beaufort and other semi-hard cheeses are also great options.
Other foods are less commonly paired with cider but there are a select group of people who love sipping their cider along with a mild curry, pheasant, sweet and sour pork, and even puddings with an apple or apricot base. The sweeter the food, the sweeter the cider needs to be in order to work well to compliment the flavours in the dish. If in doubt, the best thing to do is test your taste buds and find out what you enjoy. Remember, one bite and one sip is not enough. You need to really taste all the flavours together before you choose which combinations you love and those you could do without.