The Art of Beer and Cheese Pairing: An Indian Flavour Harmony
Beer and cheese or cheese snack pairing in India is a celebration of flavour, texture, and camaraderie
With today being National Cheese Day, it's time to raise a glass and celebrate the delightful union of beer and cheese: a pairing that's gaining traction in India for its unique flavors and cultural resonance. Picture this: the clinking of glasses, the enticing aroma of freshly made paneer tikka, and the lively banter of friends. These elements create the perfect backdrop for enjoying this unlikely duo, united by their shared roots in the ancient art of fermentation.
Both beer and cheese are products of this transformative process, resulting in complex flavor profiles that beautifully intertwine and elevate each other. With India's diverse range of beer styles—from crisp lagers to hoppy Indian Pale Ales (IPAs)—the possibilities for pairing are endless. This National Cheese Day, embark on your own flavour adventure with these expert pairing suggestions:
IPA & Spicy Paneer Tikka: The assertive bitterness of an IPA acts as a counterpoint to the richness and spice of the paneer tikka. The hops—often with citrusy, floral, or tropical fruit notes—complement the complex flavors of the marinade, typically made with ginger, garlic, chilies, and aromatic spices. The IPA's carbonation also helps cleanse the palate between bites, cutting through the paneer's creaminess.
Stout & Smoked Cheddar: The robust, roasted malt flavors of a stout form a perfect alliance with the smoky intensity of smoked cheddar. The stout's rich notes of coffee, chocolate, or dark fruits add a layered complexity that complements the cheese's bold character. Choose a dry Irish stout for contrast or a sweeter milk stout for a creamy companion.
Wheat Beer & Kalakand: The light, refreshing nature of wheat beer—often brewed with spices like coriander and orange peel—pairs delicately with the dense, milky sweetness of kalakand. The beer's subtle fruitiness enhances the dessert without overpowering it, while its carbonation offers a refreshing contrast to the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Try a Belgian witbier or a German hefeweizen.
Pilsner & Vegetable Pakoda: The light, crisp, and subtly bitter character of a pilsner provides a refreshing counterpoint to the fried, savory, and often spicy vegetable pakoda. Its clean finish washes away the oiliness, preparing your palate for the next bite. The pilsner's slight bitterness also pairs nicely with the spices in the batter.
Beer and cheese or cheese snack pairing in India is a celebration of flavour, texture, and camaraderie. So, gather your friends, pick your cheeses and snacks, and pour your beers. With a little experimentation and a spirit of mindful enjoyment, you'll discover a world of delicious possibilities. Cheers to the art of pairing: Indian style!
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Tuam recorded the highest death percentage before closing in 1961. Nearly a third of the children died there. In a hunt for graves, the cemetery caretaker led Corless across the street to the neighborhood and playground where the home once stood. A well-tended garden with flowers, a grotto and Virgin Mary statue was walled off in the corner. It was created by a couple living next door to memorialize the place Hopkins found the bones. Some were thought to be famine remains. But that was before Corless discovered the garden sat atop the septic tank installed after the famine. She wondered if the nuns had used the tank as a convenient burial place after it went out of service in 1937, hidden behind the home's 10-foot-high walls. "It saved them admitting that so, so many babies were dying," she said. "Nobody knew what they were doing." A sensational story When she published her article in the Journal of the Old Tuam Society in 2012, she braced for outrage. Instead, she heard almost nothing. That changed, though, after Corrigan, who had been busy pursuing records and contacting officials from the prime minister to the police, found Corless. Corrigan connected her with journalist Alison O'Reilly and the international media took notice after her May 25, 2014, article on the Sunday front page of the Irish Mail with the headline: "A Mass Grave of 800 Babies." The article caused a firestorm, followed by some blowback. Some news outlets, including The Associated Press, highlighted sensational reporting and questioned whether a septic tank could have been used as a grave. The Bon Secours sisters hired public relations consultant Terry Prone, who tried to steer journalists away. "If you come here you'll find no mass grave," she said in an email to a French TV company. "No evidence that children were ever so buried and a local police force casting their eyes to heaven and saying, 'Yeah a few bones were found - but this was an area where famine victims were buried. So?'" Despite the doubters, there was widespread outrage. Corless was inundated by people looking for relatives on the list of 796 deaths she compiled. Those reared with the stain of being "illegitimate" found their voice. Mulryan, who lived in the home until he was 4½, spoke about being abused as a foster child working on a farm, shoeless for much of the year, barely schooled, underfed and starved for kindness. "We were afraid to open our mouths, you know, we were told to mind our own business," Mulryan said. "It's a disgrace. This church and the state had so much power, they could do what they liked and there was nobody to question them." Then-Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the children were treated as an "inferior subspecies" as he announced an investigation into mother and baby homes. When a test excavation confirmed in 2017 that skeletons of babies and toddlers were in the old septic tank, Kenny dubbed it a "chamber of horrors." Pope Francis acknowledged the scandal during his 2018 visit to Ireland when he apologized for church "crimes" that included child abuse and forcing unmarried mothers to give up their children. It took five years before the government probe primarily blamed the children's fathers and women's families in its expansive 2021 report. The state and churches played a supporting role in the harsh treatment, but it noted the institutions, despite their failings, provided a refuge when families would not. Some survivors saw the report as a damning vindication while others branded it a whitewash. Prime Minister Micheal Martin apologized, saying mothers and children paid a terrible price for the nation's "perverse religious morality." "The shame was not theirs - it was ours," Martin said. The Bon Secours sisters offered a profound apology and acknowledged children were disrespectfully buried. "We failed to respect the inherent dignity of the women and children," Sister Eileen O'Connor said. "We failed to offer them the compassion that they so badly needed." The dig When a crew including forensic scientists and archaeologists began digging at the site two weeks ago, Corless was "on a different planet," amazed the work was underway after so many years. It is expected to take two years to collect bones, many of which are commingled, sort them and use DNA to try to identify them with relatives like Corrigan. Dig director Daniel MacSweeney , who previously worked for the International Committee of Red Cross to identify missing persons in conflict zones in Afghanistan and Lebanon, said it is a uniquely difficult undertaking. "We cannot underestimate the complexity of the task before us, the challenging nature of the site as you will see, the age of the remains, the location of the burials, the dearth of information about these children and their lives," MacSweeney said. Nearly 100 people, some from the U.S., Britain, Australia, and Canada, have either provided DNA or contacted them about doing so. Some people in town believe the remains should be left undisturbed. Patrick McDonagh, who grew up in the neighborhood, said a priest had blessed the ground after Hopkins' discovery and Masses were held there regularly. "It should be left as it is," McDonagh said. "It was always a graveyard." A week before ground was broken, a bus delivered a group of the home's aging survivors and relatives of mothers who toiled there to the neighborhood of rowhouses that ring the playground and memorial garden. A passageway between two homes led them through a gate in metal fencing erected to hide the site that has taken on an industrial look. Beyond grass where children once played - and beneath which children may be buried - were storage containers, a dumpster and an excavator poised for digging. It would be their last chance to see it before it's torn up and - maybe - the bones of their kin recovered so they can be properly buried. Corrigan, who likes to say that justice delayed Irish-style is "delay, deny 'til we all go home and die," hopes each child is found. "They were denied dignity in life, and they were denied dignity and respect in death," she said. "So we're hoping that today maybe will be the start of hearing them because I think they've been crying for an awful long time to be heard."
