Capsicum + Mace
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,100 recipes, and they share 19 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Do capsicum and mace go together?
Yes. 5,100 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 19 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 17% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (19 of 34) also occur in capsicum. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
capsicum
The tartness. Sour notes make up 15% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 382 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for capsicum. It carries 15 molecules capsicum doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 8% of pairs with capsicum, top 4% with mace.
- Clove: top 7% of pairs with capsicum, top 6% with mace.
- Allspice: top 8% of pairs with capsicum, top 7% with mace.
- Pepper: top 2% of pairs with capsicum, top 16% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with capsicum and mace
Almost always mains: 2 of the 2 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: capsicum has 382 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 15 that capsicum doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 19 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 382 only in capsicum and the 15 only in mace.
Capsicum and mace questions
Do capsicum and mace go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 5,100 recipes, and they share 19 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do capsicum and mace taste good together?
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (19 of 34) also occur in capsicum. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with capsicum and mace?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 8% of pairs with capsicum and top 4% with mace. Clove and allspice also fit both.
What can you make with capsicum and mace?
Almost always mains: 2 of the 2 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Spanish Onions--Pickled, Tomato Catsup.
Can I use mace instead of capsicum?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: capsicum has 382 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 15 that capsicum doesn't. Treat them as partners, not stand-ins. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
Compare other ingredients
Ranks compare this pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. Molecule counts are what the studies and databases we aggregate have reported for each ingredient: a measure of coverage, not a full census. How we score pairs
Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Capsicum vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/capsicum-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_capsicum_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Capsicum vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/capsicum-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.