A gastronome’s puzzle

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has a new book just out Hugh’s Three Good Things.  Hugh’s premise is that there are combinations of three ingredients that create culinary magic.  And we will be indexing the book shortly so we will find out how well that works.

The Guardian newspaper has revealed a puzzle that academics have been pondering for at least three decades. “The Incompatible Food Triad is a puzzle that aims to find three ingredients such that:

1) any two of them go well together.

2) all three together do not.”

Of course any food combinations are a matter of taste so someone’s yuck could be another person’s yum.  Based on the comments on the post that seems to be the case. I think the most successful one is this:

“…the mathematician George W Hart lists the most celebrated solution:

a. salted cucumbers
b. sugar
c. yoghurt

Each of the pairs go together:

a + b = sweet pickles
b + c = a common way to eat yoghurt
a + c = tzatziki

But a + b + c = eurghhhk!”

Can you come up with any better suggestions?