Clove + Ham
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,666 recipes, and they share 28 flavor molecules: the top 18% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and ham go together?
Yes. 1,666 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 28 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 18% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 28 flavor molecules: 27% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy) and ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
clove
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 11% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for ham. It carries 283 molecules ham doesn't have.
ham
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for clove. It carries 76 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Allspice: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 27% with ham.
- Cinnamon: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 34% with ham.
- Nutmeg: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 26% with ham.
- Winter savory: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 21% with ham.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and ham
Mostly mains: 6 of the 8 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clove has 283 molecules ham doesn't, and ham has 76 that clove 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 28 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 283 only in clove and the 76 only in ham.
Clove and ham questions
Do clove and ham go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,666 recipes, and they share 28 flavor molecules: the top 18% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and ham taste good together?
They overlap on 28 flavor molecules: 27% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy) and ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with clove and ham?
Allspice is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 27% with ham. Cinnamon and nutmeg also fit both.
What can you make with clove and ham?
Mostly mains: 6 of the 8 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Appetizer Ham Balls with Hawaiian Punch Sauce, Cuban Lechon Asado (Roasted Fresh Ham), To Cure Beef Hams, Cheddar Chili Cheesecake.
Can I use ham instead of clove?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: clove has 283 molecules ham doesn't, and ham has 76 that clove 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: Clove vs Ham. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-ham. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_ham_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Ham},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-ham},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.