And the same question applies to applesauce with pork chops (or is it ham)?
2007-01-13 09:19:54 · 8 answers · asked by Charles d 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
I know that when eating lobster, crab or fish we'd always have lemon juice or vinegar (white) with it, it gives a bit of "bite" to it, plus there's the sweet/sour combination. Crab and lobster meat (especially the tail) is actually a bit sweet tasting (very mildly so) and the lemon/vinegar combines with it very well to enhance the flavor.
For pork chops and applesauce, that is the salty/sweet combo (like chocolate covered pretzels) but it also goes back a long way with tradition. Haven't you ever seen the whole roast hog with an apple in its mouth? Apples are produced in the fall, which would be a good time for hunting boar/slaughtering pigs for winter meat. When its your last fresh food of the year it was a time to celebrate by eating up.
2007-01-13 09:41:07 · answer #1 · answered by greydrakkon 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes.
Fish (especially when beginning to age) contains an organic compound called methylamine, chemical formula CH3NH2. This is a volatile compound with a fishy odor. Citric acid in lemon juice reacts with it and forms the salt methylaminium citrate where the NH2 group gets partially protonated with a proton from citric acid. This makes it non-volatile. The stronger the acid, the more effective it will be in cutting down the odor. Vinegar is weak but will also work.
Not sure about applesauce and pork chops.
2007-01-13 17:34:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Lemon juice cuts thru the oily tendency of fish.
The sweetness of applesauce cuts the satliness of porkchops.
It's a tastebud thing!
2007-01-13 17:25:32 · answer #3 · answered by Margaret V 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, there is a scientific explanation, but it's a long complex equation that I can't remember. Some guy won a nobel prize for it.
Oh wait... I remember: It's got a good taste.
2007-01-13 17:24:16 · answer #4 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think the lemon makes the fish taste more fresh, it gives it a little zest.
2007-01-13 17:30:49 · answer #5 · answered by skater chick 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
first of all,lemons cleanse the pallet. 2nd of all ,lemons neutralize the "fishy" smell and taste of the fish and give it added flavor.
2007-01-13 18:01:47 · answer #6 · answered by Dfirefox 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is the acid and flavor that compliments the food, but that is an answer without research
2007-01-13 17:25:55 · answer #7 · answered by ADragonsGoddess 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
some people sprinkle it on their fish or shrimp
2007-01-13 23:07:16 · answer #8 · answered by Barbie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋