Pork and whisky are a match made in heaven. The rich, fatty cuts of pork effortlessly complement the complex notes of a good single malt, offering an experience connoisseurs would swear by. At ALKMY: Malt & Meat, held in Novotel Kolkata on June 21, The Calcutta Porkaddicts (TCP) served up a delight.
Curated by chef Kalyan Gopalakrishna, the evening showcased TCP’s top recommendation — pairing smoky, spice-rubbed pork with smooth Indian single malts. Bold, Brilliance and Nirvana variants of Paul John whisky were served at the event.
For those who missed it, the whole hog and malt connoisseurs recommend whisky and pork pairings you cannot go wrong with.
Ayan Ghosh, founder-president of TCP, fancies a grilled pork chop with a peaty whisky, usually at the Calcutta Club. “The purpose of pairing a food with a drink is to accentuate the combined flavours. While the drink can also complement the taste of the food, in this case, the smoke from the whisky supplements the smokiness of the meat, creating a smoky umami in the mouth,” he said.
Sharing her choice of pairing, writer Mona Banerjee, who joined TCP in 2020, said, “My favourite pork dish to pair with whisky is pork chops, with a whisky glaze or maybe a BBQ rub. I love single malts, but I feel blended whiskies go best with pork because the mellow tones of the blends complement the fattiness of the meat. In this case, Chivas is undoubtedly my favourite.”
Ritesh Sarkar, bursar cum assistant secretary, La Martiniere Schools, Kolkata, has been with TCP since 2018. The pork lover who also fancies whisky picked Porchetta with rye whisky as his favourite meat-and-malt pair. “Porchetta is one preparation which I like pairing with a rye whisky. The peppery notes of a rye whisky, for me, enhance the rich fatty flavour of Porchetta. I got to try this for the first time in San Gimignano, a small town near Florence in Italy.”
Nayana Gangooly, a member of TCP since pre-COVID days, recalled trying out roast pork chop with a “wee dram” of Lagavulin at a friend's apartment in London. “Though pork chops were often paired with whisky at our house in Kolkata or the Calcutta Club, this was the first time I had it combined with a superb Scotch. Since then, whenever I cook a pork chop, I bring out a bottle of nice whisky. Maybe not always a scotch, but our lovely Indian Malts like Paul John or Amrut are equally delicious. I often roast a pork chop, marinated in honey and garlic, on a winter evening in my house in Santiniketan.”
