10 Bizarre Foods That Pair Well With Cheese
I know I’m not alone when I say this: I am obsessed with cheese. If I had the choice, I’d probably eat cheese all day and melt cheese on all other non-cheese items. Everyone has different things they like to eat with this favorite dairy product, and tbh, some of those relationships are a little… weird.
Forget your typical grilled cheese or cream cheese on a bagel, here are 10 bizarre things people like to pair with cheese.
Pickles and Cheese
This one shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but pickles and cheese are all the rage. Whether you’re dunking them in beer cheese dip, fondue, or straight up wrapping them in a slice or two, the sourness of the pickle and the creaminess of the cheese complement each other perfectly.
If you really want to do this flavor combination right, try making these mozzarella-stuffed fried pickles by Richard in the Kitchen, and don’t say we never did you any favors.
Hot Cheetos and Cream Cheese
You might have heard of people drinking milk with their Hot Cheetos. Well, this weird pairing kind of takes that notion to the next level. Maybe to help ease the burn of this spicy snack, some have taken to dunking their Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in cream cheese.
Crazier yet, people are literally making cream cheese and Cheetos sandwiches, mainly with bagels as their bread of choice.
Salsa and Cottage Cheese
The logic behind this pairing seems to be if two things separately are great dips, then together they should make one super dip. You love dunking your chips in salsa, and fresh fruit is great with a scoop of cottage cheese, but together?! Together they make a combo that the general interweb is furious about.
Caramel and Bleu Cheese
You read that right. Apparently, spooning caramel onto bleu cheese makes for an out-of-this-world flavor combination. This is a little known fact that cheese experts swear by for a cheese-centric dessert. Truthfully, we’re having a hard time picturing what exactly this would taste like. Confusion, maybe?
Kimchi and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
Judge if you want, but this actually sounds amazing. We know it sounds weird when you first think about it, but kimchi and cheese get along better than you’d think. Cheese brightens up the intense kick that kimchi presents, and if you don’t believe us, we dare you to make your own. Or, better yet, go out and order one now.
Peanut Butter and Cottage Cheese
I may be a big proponent of cheese, but peanut butter is definitely my #2. So I’m trying to not be too salty about this one. In some alternate universe, people actually enjoy eating scoops of PB with cottage cheese. Now, I’m all for eating peanut butter straight from the jar (I did that like five minutes ago) but why do we have to add cheese to the equation?
As it turns out, this combo is a high protein snack that bodybuilders will “indulge” in for a late night snack or for breakfast. I don’t know your life, guys. Not here to judge.
Banana and Cheese
This is an old school snack dating back to the ’70s and we kind of see why it went out of vogue. Basically, you wrap a piece of single-serving cheese around a banana and immediately eat it. No tea, no shade — that sounds downright disgusting. But if Mr. Rogers was a fan, how bad could it have honestly been?
Hot Chocolate and Cheese
Also known as Colombian hot chocolate, this cup of cocoa has a little surprise inside. Spoiler alert: it’s cheese. After making this frothy drink on the stove, Colombians will usually add some kind of white cheese, like queso compasigna, queso blanco, panela, halloumi, or mozzarella. You can use a spoon for dunking or you can put the cheese in the bottom of your mug and pour the cocoa on top. We’re definitely intrigued.
Coffee and Cream Cheese
Putting cheese in coffee is very much a thing around the world. In places like Korea, Switzerland, and Panama (where queso blanco is the general coffee cheese of choice) putting cheese in your coffee is a pretty standard thing. Fans of the pairing have said that when cheese is mixed with espresso, it supposedly tastes something like tiramisu. That might be one mystery we could do without solving ourselves. We’ll take your word for it.
Cereal and Cheese
Potentially the most jarring pairing on this list: cereal and cheese. We’d like to believe this is something only broke college students do when they run out of ramen, but it’s a thing that actually happens. Photos of people putting shredded cheese on more bland cereals, like Cheerios, have surfaced on the internet recently, and a lot of people have been coming to their aid against haters, claiming this combination is actually delicious.
