Clove + Tamarind
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 145 recipes, and they share 226 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Do clove and tamarind go together?
Yes. 145 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 226 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 6% of every ingredient pair we score.
Why they work
More than half of tamarind's flavor molecules (226 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What each one brings
clove
The fruit. Fruity notes make up 17% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 10% for tamarind. It carries 85 molecules tamarind doesn't have.
tamarind
The tartness. Sour notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 12% for clove. It carries 79 molecules clove doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Cinnamon: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with clove, top 2% with tamarind.
- Cardamom: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 2% with tamarind.
- Cumin: top 4% of pairs with clove, top 1% with tamarind.
- Ginger: top 1% of pairs with clove, top 3% with tamarind.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with clove and tamarind
Almost always mains: 16 of the 19 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (73% of clove's and 74% of tamarind's are shared). This compares flavor only; texture, moisture and the job each does in a dish matter too.
All 226 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 85 only in clove and the 79 only in tamarind.
Clove and tamarind questions
Do clove and tamarind go together?
A proven pairing. Cooks put them together in 145 recipes, and they share 226 flavor molecules: the top 6% of all ingredient pairs.
Why do clove and tamarind taste good together?
More than half of tamarind's flavor molecules (226 of 305) also occur in clove. Among the shared key aromas are ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic) and alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
What goes with clove and tamarind?
Cinnamon is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with clove and top 2% with tamarind. Cardamom and cumin also fit both.
What can you make with clove and tamarind?
Almost always mains: 16 of the 19 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Ginger Tamarind Eggplant, Spicy Eggplant in Ginger‑Tamarind Sauce, Beef in Spiced and Tangy Gravy, Bisi Bele Bath.
Can I use tamarind instead of clove?
Fairly well, for flavor. Each carries most of the other's flavor molecules (73% of clove's and 74% of tamarind's are shared). 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: Clove vs Tamarind. https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-tamarind. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_clove_vs_tamarind_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Clove vs Tamarind},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/clove-vs-tamarind},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.