Food That Goes Well with Coffee

A few months ago, the husband and I decided to level up our coffee-drinking practice. I have read somewhere that caffeine sustains one’s memory recall and delays brain function deterioration. So we started to drink coffee at breakfast and sip a cup in the afternoon.

If you are a coffee drinker, you would know and probably agree that coffee goes well with almost anything! Whether you drink it in solitude or share it with family, friends, and colleagues, coffee offers an unmistakable warmth and comfort with its soothing aroma and intense taste.

Caffeine or ice (in the case of cold coffee) also boosts your energy to get you through the day. If you have it for an all-nighter, then it will help you last through the night as well.

Most Filipinos would tell you that coffee is a breakfast drink. However, with the rise of popular coffee chains, it is now widely considered an all-day beverage. Doctors and health gurus warn us to limit our coffee intake to a maximum of five cups a day. But many people are slaves of the irresistible aroma of a steaming cuppa.

Whatever we are doing, whether it’s nothing serious to extremely-serious business, we enjoy it better if we have a cup of java touching our lips from time to time. It makes our leisure time feel like self-care and our chores more tolerable.

I feel like coffee lovers always put their favorite beverage on a pedestal. They would say that it is a delicacy that can be savored independently. But have you noticed? Its taste seems magnified when you pair it with a meal that goes well with it.

A bit of Google research tells me that it actually tastes better with a bite of food. Its inherent flavors or notes are accentuated when taken with matching meals. Eating something while drinking coffee can undoubtedly bring your experience to new heights.

What can you eat with coffee?

Chocolates

You’re probably familiar with chocolate-flavored coffee. They are prevalent these days, especially with the instant coffee variants. This is because these two are a match made in heaven. The sweetness of chocolate balances the bitterness of your java. No matter what kind of chocolate you eat, be it dark, milk, or white chocolate, it will definitely complement the intense flavor of your steaming cup of caffeine.

Cakes

No matter what the flavor of your cake is, you will surely relish it with coffee. My personal favorite is tiramisu. I feel that the espresso in the tiramisu always finds its soul mate in my Barako. I cherish when the creamy texture from my cake mixes with every sip of my hot or warm cuppa. It’s like putting whipped cream on my coffee.

Toast and Croissants

Oh, how I adore the multiple layers of thin sheets of carbs in a croissant! Whether these are plain or with butter, they go well with your cuppa because they even out the intense taste and aroma of your brew. Plain and butter toasts do the same.

Crepes, Pancakes, and Waffles

The husband prefers his coffee black. He doesn’t like to put milk, cream, or half-and-half in his cup. But even he would love to pair his piping cup of coffee with crepes, pancakes, and waffles. Again, they complement each other! The creamy and milky texture of these usual-breakfast foods sit well with our adored beverage.

Pandesal

Readily available around the block in almost all Filipino households is the pandesal. For some, it is even easy to bake at home. I have tried it twice or thrice during the pandemic. Let me tell you it’s no joke. It’s a waiting game for the yeast to work and for the dough to rise. Seems like watching yourself achieve your dreams. LOL!

I should say, pandesal is my favorite coffee pairing. I love bread with butter but as many of our countrymen know, you don’t really need a filling for your pandesal if you’re having it with coffee. It’s our oreo to the Americans’ milk. We dunk them until they’re almost falling off, then we put them in our mouths. If you haven’t given it a try, you should. Then you would understand how food can literally melt in your mouth.

It’s also my husband’s favorite pairing. But for him, it’s sentimental. You see, he was a Lolo’s and Lola’s boy. When he was young, as in too young for caffeine, his grandfather would dip pandesal in his coffee and would feed him. Eating this match is like going back to when life was simple and he was well loved.

Silog

Last but not the least is our usual pairing at home. A staple beverage at breakfast is a perfect match to our usual breakfast solace. A steaming hot cuppa can never go wrong with iconic Filipino breakfast food. The salty, savory, and fatty elements of tapa, hotdog, or bacon, plus the eggs do so much to the aroma, texture, and taste of coffee. For me, combining savory food with a sweet beverage is nothing but perfect!

They say bold flavors go well together. Do it right, and there will be an explosion of flavors in your mouth. Try pairing your coffee with any food of your liking. You might be surprised if you like it. Give me a shout out if you discover something new!

I also love milk! Read here.

This piece is actually a personal version of a freelance assignment. In the original piece, there was no pandesal or tapsilog. Instead, included in the list were hard cheeses, smoked salmon, bananas, and berries. I know, I should have tried them out, but since I haven’t yet, I did not include them here.

Thanks for reading!