Food and beverage dinner combinations, patterns among Swedish adults

Abstract

IntroductionSince the taste preferences of food and beverage combinations are considered subjective properties and have been studied in several different ways, mainly within the field of sensory science, this study contributes to the field of food and beverage combination studies by using self-reported eating habits. ObjectiveThis article explores the relationships between food and beverage combinations, recorded by a Swedish adult population. MethodAnalyses were made using data from the national dietary survey, Riksmaten (2010–2011), performed by the Swedish National Food Agency. A total of 1753 Swedish adults (53% women) aged 18–80 contributed dietary intake data during four consecutive days. All dinner choices were categorized into beverage categories and food categories. Combinations between beverage and food categories were analyzed by using cross tabulation. Correlation coefficients for non-parametric variables were used to determine the association power. Predictive factors for more important beverage and food combinations were explored by logistic regression analysis. ResultsWater was the most frequent choice in combination with all food categories. The results also showed that alcoholic beverages are present in two of the three strongest food and beverage correlations, the spirits drinks and white wine. The most important predictive factors were where the dinner took place for non-alcoholic combinations (OR: 4.33; 95% CI: 2.28–8.21) and age and employment for alcoholic combinations (OR > 2; p < 0.05). ConclusionOur results show correlations in reported consumption of food and beverage, which explain the occurrences of specific patterns of combinations of food and beverage. More studies on choice of beverage are needed to describe the patterns of intake, in order to understand the mechanisms behind beverage choice, in different settings, cultural situations and lifestyle backgrounds. Combinations in everyday life are described here and these are not always so sophisticated, rather building on availability than on optimal taste combinations. Our findings can offer an understanding of some common every-day choices to culinary professionals, useful for their guidance of food and beverage pairing, to enhance restaurant experiences.