Mace + Pork
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,565 recipes, and they share 11 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Do mace and pork go together?
Yes. 2,565 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 11 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 17% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 11 flavor molecules: 32% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous) and sabinene (woody, terpenic). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 2% for pork. It carries 23 molecules pork doesn't have.
pork
The tartness. Sour notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 413 molecules mace doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Nutmeg: the best fit for both, top 4% of pairs with mace, top 18% with pork.
- Beef: top 25% of pairs with mace, top 1% with pork.
- Clove: top 6% of pairs with mace, top 15% with pork.
- Mallard duck: top 26% of pairs with mace, top 2% with pork.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with mace and pork
Almost always mains: 51 of the 59 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 23 molecules pork doesn't, and pork has 413 that mace 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 11 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 23 only in mace and the 413 only in pork.
Mace and pork questions
Do mace and pork go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 2,565 recipes, and they share 11 flavor molecules: the top 17% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do mace and pork taste good together?
They overlap on 11 flavor molecules: 32% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous) and sabinene (woody, terpenic). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with mace and pork?
Nutmeg is the best third ingredient: top 4% of pairs with mace and top 18% with pork. Beef and clove also fit both.
What can you make with mace and pork?
Almost always mains: 51 of the 59 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Mince Pie Tartlets with Pork, Pork Cutlets, OX-CHEEK SOUP, African Chicken Pie.
Can I use pork instead of mace?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 23 molecules pork doesn't, and pork has 413 that mace 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: Mace vs Pork. https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-pork. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_mace_vs_pork_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Mace vs Pork},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-pork},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.