Fig + Medlar
Promising but untested: they share 205 flavor molecules (strong aroma overlap), yet no recipe in our pairing index uses both. They rank in the top 31% of all ingredient pairs.
Do fig and medlar go together?
Possibly. No recipe in our pairing index uses both, and they share 205 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 31% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
Almost everything medlar carries, fig has too: 205 of medlar's 205 flavor molecules also occur in fig. Among the shared key aromas are coumarin (sweet, hay) and 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
What each one brings
fig
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 20% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for medlar. It carries 137 molecules medlar doesn't have.
medlar
The roast. Roasted notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for fig. Every molecule it carries is also in fig.
Add a third ingredient
- Almond: the best fit for both, top 3% of pairs with fig, top 12% with medlar.
- Pistachio: top 5% of pairs with fig, top 10% with medlar.
- Chestnut: top 7% of pairs with fig, top 7% with medlar.
- Mixed nuts: top 7% of pairs with fig, top 8% with medlar.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with fig and medlar
We have no browsable recipe that lists both fig and medlar. With this much shared aroma, it is the kind of novel pairing worth testing.
Can you swap one for the other?
Only partly. Almost all of medlar's flavor molecules (205 of 205) are also found in fig, but fig has 137 that medlar lacks. Medlar gives you part of fig's character without most of its fruit. This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 205 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 137 only in fig and the 0 only in medlar.
Fig and medlar questions
Do fig and medlar go together?
Promising but untested: they share 205 flavor molecules (strong aroma overlap), yet no recipe in our pairing index uses both. They rank in the top 31% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do fig and medlar taste good together?
Almost everything medlar carries, fig has too: 205 of medlar's 205 flavor molecules also occur in fig. Among the shared key aromas are coumarin (sweet, hay) and 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
What goes with fig and medlar?
Almond is the best third ingredient: top 3% of pairs with fig and top 12% with medlar. Pistachio and chestnut also fit both.
Can I use medlar instead of fig?
Only partly. Almost all of medlar's flavor molecules (205 of 205) are also found in fig, but fig has 137 that medlar lacks. Medlar gives you part of fig's character without most of its fruit. 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: Fig vs Medlar. https://compkitchen.com/compare/fig-vs-medlar. Accessed 2026-11-07.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_fig_vs_medlar_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Fig vs Medlar},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/fig-vs-medlar},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-07}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.