Turnip + Mace
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,100 recipes, and they share 6 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Do turnip and mace go together?
Yes. 1,100 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 6 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 21% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
They overlap on 6 flavor molecules: 18% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are eugenol (clove, spicy) and geraniol (rose, geranium). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What each one brings
turnip
The tartness. Sour notes make up 19% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 247 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 7% for turnip. It carries 28 molecules turnip doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Winter savory: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with turnip, top 11% with mace.
- Nutmeg: top 7% of pairs with turnip, top 4% with mace.
- Leek: top 1% of pairs with turnip, top 24% with mace.
- Clove: top 6% of pairs with turnip, top 6% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with turnip and mace
Almost always mains: 21 of the 26 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: turnip has 247 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 28 that turnip 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 6 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 247 only in turnip and the 28 only in mace.
Turnip and mace questions
Do turnip and mace go together?
A good pairing. Cooks put them together in 1,100 recipes, and they share 6 flavor molecules: the top 21% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do turnip and mace taste good together?
They overlap on 6 flavor molecules: 18% of mace's 34. Among the shared key aromas are eugenol (clove, spicy) and geraniol (rose, geranium). Most of what they share is background chemistry many foods carry, so the overlap does little for the smell.
What goes with turnip and mace?
Winter savory is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with turnip and top 11% with mace. Nutmeg and leek also fit both.
What can you make with turnip and mace?
Almost always mains: 21 of the 26 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Gravy Soup, Mock Turtle or Calf's Head Soup, Artichoke Soup (Original), Caper Soup.
Can I use mace instead of turnip?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: turnip has 247 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 28 that turnip 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: Turnip vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/turnip-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_turnip_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Turnip vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/turnip-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.