Imagine this; you walk into a restaurant in downtown Denver. As usual, your server begins by explaining the specials they have for that evening. Only, these specials are unlike anything you have ever had before. The special of the night is a New York Steak strip with Portobello mushrooms and Bubba Kush flower. While this may seem like a far-fetched idea, a dinner like this is out there. Cannabis and food have always been associated together, but only in the sense of the munchies or edibles. It wasn’t until now that people have been able to experience the true wonders behind pairing cannabis and food.
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Why is cannabis being served with food?
Cannabis and food happen to share very similar genetic traits. The one thing that you will always find in both food and marijuana is terpenes. What are terpenes? Terpenes are the natural flavors and aromas of our food and plants that give them their specific sensations and uses. Meaning the reason why people like to drink orange juice in the morning is due to the citrusy taste and aroma. It is shown that the citrusy terpenes in our foods have a tendency to help wake us up. This is also why you tend to see a majority of sativa flowers containing citrus terpenes, like limonene. It is this connection between terpenes that have led many people to start pairing food with cannabis. A solid pairing of these flavors can provide the consumer with a much more enjoyable and efficient experience.
Top Cannabis and Food Pairings
Agent Orange Served with Cilantro Chicken Tacos:
This pairing is inspired by the limonene, humulene, and pinene terpenes within both Agent Orange and the Cilantro Chicken. The tart yet sweet flavors from the cilantro do a great job of complimenting the citrusy taste of Agent Orange. These flavors and aromas are found to provide the consumer with a very uplifting and happy experience.
Black Domina Served with Chocolate Cake:
This food pairing is a desert-based pairing. The Black Domina flower is a heavy indica which consists of myrcene, terpinolene, and pinene terpenes. These terpenes are what give Black Domina its coffee and nutty flavors. This strain is paired with a chocolate cake because chocolate is commonly served with a coffee flavor, and it is a dessert served at the end of your meal. Pairing an indica flower with your desert provides a calming and relaxing sensation to the end of your meal. Indica flower is also well known for its powerful ability to soothe a full stomach.
Super Lemon Haze Served with Yogurt Parfait:
Yogurt is a very common food pairing with cannabis. The sweet flavor of the yogurt pairs extremely well with many sativa flowers. However, I have found Super Lemon Haze to be one of the best strain pairings with a fruit yogurt parfait. The limonene, caryophyllene, and myrcene terpenes in Super Lemon Haze proved the strain with its sweet, but peppery taste. It is this bittersweetness that pairs so well with the yogurt. Also, it’s uplifting, and energetic effects make this pairing an excellent way to start the day.
Do These Restaurants Exist?
The pairing of cannabis and food is a very new and exciting sector of the marijuana industry. By turning the consumption of cannabis into a very extravagant and unique process, it shows how far the cannabis industry is spreading. It is a race for existing industries to be the first to find a niche for cannabis within their sectors. Since the pairing of food and cannabis is still so new, I highly recommend consumers to start testing their own pairings. Who knows, maybe you will be the first to discover to the best cannabis and food pairing.
