Tomato + Mace
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 467 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs.
Do tomato and mace go together?
Yes, in practice. 467 recipes in our collection combine them, and they share 19 flavor molecules. That places them in the top 29% of every ingredient pair we score.
What they have in common
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (19 of 34) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What each one brings
tomato
The tartness. Sour notes make up 14% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 3% for mace. It carries 491 molecules mace doesn't have.
mace
The herbal side. Herbal notes make up 31% of its labelled aroma molecules, against 8% for tomato. It carries 15 molecules tomato doesn't have.
Add a third ingredient
- Capsicum: the best fit for both, top 1% of pairs with tomato, top 17% with mace.
- Basil: top 1% of pairs with tomato, top 17% with mace.
- Thyme: top 4% of pairs with tomato, top 14% with mace.
- Nutmeg: top 15% of pairs with tomato, top 4% with mace.
Ranked by the average of its two pairing scores. Only foods used in at least 100 recipes are suggested.
Recipes with tomato and mace
Mostly mains: 65 of the 96 recipes with a course label are mains.
Can you swap one for the other?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: tomato has 491 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 15 that tomato 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 19 shared molecules
See every shared molecule grouped by chemical class, with key aromas marked, plus the 491 only in tomato and the 15 only in mace.
Tomato and mace questions
Do tomato and mace go together?
A cook's pairing more than a chemical one: 467 recipes use both, though they share little aroma. They rank in the top 29% of all ingredient pairs.
What do tomato and mace have in common?
More than half of mace's flavor molecules (19 of 34) also occur in tomato. Among the shared key aromas are alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine) and myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous). So the pairing rests more on how cooks use them than on shared aroma.
What goes with tomato and mace?
Capsicum is the best third ingredient: top 1% of pairs with tomato and top 17% with mace. Basil and thyme also fit both.
What can you make with tomato and mace?
Mostly mains: 65 of the 96 recipes with a course label are mains. Common dishes include Preserved Green Tomatoes, Creole Tomatoes, Frosted Tomato Pickle, Green Tomato Figs.
Can I use mace instead of tomato?
Not really. Each has a lot the other lacks: tomato has 491 molecules mace doesn't, and mace has 15 that tomato 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: Tomato vs Mace. https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-mace. Accessed 2026-11-04.
@misc{compkitchen_compare_compound_similarity_analysis_tomato_vs_mace_2026,
title = {Compound similarity analysis: Tomato vs Mace},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compare/tomato-vs-mace},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-04}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.