Mace + Ham
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 2,050 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
Do mace and ham go together?
Yes, in practice. 2,050 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 3 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 26% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
They overlap on 3 flavor molecules: 9% of mace's 34. So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for ham. It carries 31 molecules ham doesn't have.
ham
The fresh, green side. Green notes make up 18% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 6% for mace. It carries 101 molecules mace doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Clove: the best fit for both, top 6% of pairs with mace, top 18% with ham.
- Nutmeg: top 4% of pairs with mace, top 26% with ham.
- Bread: top 24% of pairs with mace, top 7% with ham.
- Allspice: top 7% of pairs with mace, top 27% with ham.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with mace and ham
Mostly mains: 2 of the 3 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 31 molecules ham doesn't, and ham has 101 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 3 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 31 only in mace and the 101 only in ham.
Mace and ham questions
Do mace and ham go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 2,050 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs.
What do mace and ham have in common?
They overlap on 3 flavor molecules: 9% of mace's 34. So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with mace and ham?
Clove is the best third ingredient: top 6% of pairs with mace and top 18% with ham. Nutmeg and bread also fit both.
What can you make with mace and ham?
Mostly mains: 2 of the 3 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Florence Burton, Liver and Parsley Sauce for Poultry, Pepper Pot.
Can I use ham instead of mace?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: mace has 31 molecules ham doesn't, and ham has 101 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 Ham. https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-ham. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_mace_vs_ham_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Mace vs Ham},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/mace-vs-ham},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.