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Pairing

Ham + Cider

An everyday combination rather than a standout: 83 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs.

Smell alikemoderate
Cooked together83 recipes
Ranktop 27% of pairs
Try them in the pairing tool Ham Cider
83ham only 21shared 87cider only Ham · 104 Cider · 108
Circle size = number of flavor molecules on record. Overlap = molecules they share.

Do ham and cider go together?

They can. 83 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 21 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 27% of every ingredient pair we score.

What they have in common

They overlap on 21 flavor molecules: 20% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

What each one brings

ham

The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for cider. It carries 83 molecules cider doesn't have.

cider

The fruit. Fruity notes make up 55% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 17% for ham. It carries 87 molecules ham doesn't have.

Add a third ingredient

  • Apple: the best fit for both, top 23% of pairs with ham, top 2% with cider.
  • Vinegar: top 22% of pairs with ham, top 6% with cider.
  • Bread: top 7% of pairs with ham, top 21% with cider.
  • Mustard: top 14% of pairs with ham, top 13% with cider.

Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.

Recipes with ham and cider

We have no browsable recipe that lists both ham and cider.

Can you swap one for the other?

Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: ham has 83 molecules cider doesn't, and cider has 87 that ham 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 21 shared molecules

See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 83 only in ham and the 87 only in cider.

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Ham and cider questions

Do ham and cider go together?

An everyday combination rather than a standout: 83 recipes use both, and they rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs.

What do ham and cider have in common?

They overlap on 21 flavor molecules: 20% of ham's 104. Among the shared key aromas are 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic) and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

What goes with ham and cider?

Apple is the best third ingredient: top 23% of pairs with ham and top 2% with cider. Vinegar and bread also fit both.

Can I use cider instead of ham?

Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: ham has 83 molecules cider doesn't, and cider has 87 that ham 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

1
2

Two ingredients gives the full side-by-side breakdown; add a third to see a similarity matrix across all of them (up to 6).

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
Plain text
Compound Kitchen (2026). Compound similarity analysis: Ham vs Cider. https://compkitchen.com/compare/ham-vs-cider. Accessed 2026-11-04.
BibTeX
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_ham_vs_cider_2026,
  title  = {Compound similarity analysis: Ham vs Cider},
  author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/ham-vs-cider},
  note   = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}

Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.