Holy Trinity Foodstuffs

[Carolyn Tillie]

If memory serves, in the early days of Iron Chef (pre-Food Network), one of the commentators made a statement that the Holy Trinity of French cuisine was:

Foie Gras

Caviar

Truffles

and that any dish that contained all three ingredients was akin to Nirvana.

Later, the commentator indicated that the Holy Trinity of Oriental cuisine (which I might debate) would be:

Soy

Ginger

Lemongrass

Driving to work this morning, I started pondering Holy Trinities. What are three tastes that absolutely complement each other, bringing all three of them to higher levels than they might be on their own? Are there any that are national-specific (what would a Swedish Holy Trinity be)?

In no particular order, here are a few others that come to mind (for me, anyway):

Liver

Onions

Bacon

Goat Cheese

Basil

Sun-dried Tomatos

Salmon

Cream Cheese

Capers

Edited January 13, 2004 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

Lemon/Butter/Seafood

Garlic/Butter/Mushrooms

Beef/Potatoes/Cheese

Pasta/Olive oil/Oregano

Potatoes/Green Beans/Onions (seriously. smother them all together... It's ambrosia)

Cream/Sugar/Vanilla

Damn. Now I'm hungry. Lunch time...

[Kim WB]

milk chocolate, banana and caramel

figs, gorgonzola, and a big Super Tuscan ( adding beverages into the mix!)

lays chips, Lipton's onion soup, and Breakstone's sour cream

[tryska]

strawberries, chocolate and champagne.

[AzRaeL]

actually, the holy trinity of oriental cuisine is:

Abalone

Shark's Fin

Ginseng

[jsolomon]

scotch/stout/pecan pie

hamburger/pickle/bacon

[theclash]

vanilla icream, hot fudge, and real whipped cream

[jackal10]

onions/dill/schmalts (or goose or pork fat)

salt/sugar/vinegar

[fifi]

Leave us not forget the Cajun Holy Trinitiy, actually called that. It is an ubiquitous seasoning mix: Onion, celery, bell pepper, usually in a 2:1:1 ratio.

I noticed something the other day. 1 medium onion, 1 medium bell pepper and 2 celery stalks yield about a 2:1:1 ratio when chopped. That says to me that the ratio is not an accident but the product of the cook using all of what presents itself.

[nessa]

cumin, chipotle, cilantro

Edited to add: alliteration at its finest!

Edited January 13, 2004 by nessa (log)

[Al_Dente]

Hydrogen, hydrogen, oxygen.

[GG Mora]

Lamb, garlic, rosemary.

Tequila, lime, Triple Sec.

[bloviatrix]

Whitefish, scallions, and lemon

The classic mirepoix: onion, carrots, celery

[fimbul]

chiles/tomatoes/onions.

orange/red onion/cilantro.

[Mayhaw Man]

Onions, Bell Pepper, Celery

Duhhh

[JPW]

Sun, Driver, 1st Tee.

Oh wait!! Sorry, I thought this was my golf board.

Port, Cigar, Full Stomach

[pattimw]

these are more personal.

figs, goat cheese, prosciutto

onion, garlic, butter

potatoes, vinegar, mayonnaise

brie, raspberry, rosemary

tomatoes, mushrooms, parmigiano-reggiano

Oh, and an Irish thing would be potatoes, guinness, and a large proportion of guilt.

[Squeat Mungry]

gin, vermouth, olive

[cakewalk]

Bumblebee tuna, Hellman's mayonaisse, Wise potato chips. And I guess you gotta have bread.

[Mudpuppie]

Mesquite smoke, BBQ sauce, Dr. Pepper

[fifi]

masa, meat sauce, corn husks

tortillas, asiento, lime

corn on the cob, lime juice, chile powder

[Lady T]

Olive oil, white wine, garlic.

[lala]

olive oil, garlic, onion (always knew dinner was on when we smelled this combo)

garlic, butter, parmesan

chocolate, raspberry, champagne

fennel, orange, sherry vinegar

bread, peanut butter, raspberry jam

smoked salmon, cream cheese, pumpernickle bread

poached egg, toast, butter (fresh ground pepper, salt...does that make it 5?)

[JAZ]

Are there any that are national-specific (what would a Swedish Holy Trinity be)?

I'm not sure this is exactly what you had in mind, but in Ethnic Cuisine (originally titled The Flavor Principle Cookbook), Elizabeth Rozin describes more than thirty flavor combinations (often but not always trinities) that characterize the cuisine of various countries/regions/ethnic groups. Some of her "flavor principles":

Soy + rice wine + ginger -- China

Olive oil + lemon + oregano -- Greece

Olive oil + garlic + basil (+ tomato) -- some parts of Italy

Tomato+ peanut + chile -- West Africa

Cumin + garlic + mint -- Northeast Africa

Sour cream + dill/caraway -- Northern Europe

Butter + wine + stock -- France

It's an interesting way of approaching recipes and cooking.

[JPW]

Olive oil, white wine, garlic.

Lady T,

AMEN.

I'm with you.

This would have been exactly my serious all food answer