Pork + Tomato
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 4,843 recipes, and they share 210 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Do pork and tomato go together?
Yes. 4,843 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 210 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 10% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 210 flavor molecules: 50% of pork's 424. Among the shared key aromas are 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea) and 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
What each one brings
pork
The roast. Roasted notes make up 9% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 5% for tomato. It carries 214 molecules tomato doesn't have.
tomato
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 8% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 2% for pork. It carries 300 molecules pork doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Beef: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with pork, top 8% with tomato.
- Capsicum: top 10% of pairs with pork, top 1% with tomato.
- Olive: top 11% of pairs with pork, top 1% with tomato.
- Potato: top 5% of pairs with pork, top 5% with tomato.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with pork and tomato
Almost always mains: 436 of the 488 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: pork has 214 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 300 that pork 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 210 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 214 only in pork and the 300 only in tomato.
Pork and tomato questions
Do pork and tomato go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 4,843 recipes, and they share 210 flavor molecules: the top 10% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do pork and tomato taste good together?
They overlap on 210 flavor molecules: 50% of pork's 424. Among the shared key aromas are 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea) and 1-nonanal (fatty, waxy).
What goes with pork and tomato?
Beef is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with pork and top 8% with tomato. Capsicum and olive also fit both.
What can you make with pork and tomato?
Almost always mains: 436 of the 488 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Nam Phrik Ong (Thai Pork and Tomato Dip), 3-Ingredient Crockpot Pork Roast, All-star Pork Meatballs, Apple BBQ Pork.
Can I use tomato instead of pork?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: pork has 214 molecules tomato doesn't, and tomato has 300 that pork 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: Pork vs Tomato. https://compkitchen.com/compare/pork-vs-tomato. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_pork_vs_tomato_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Pork vs Tomato},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/pork-vs-tomato},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.