Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Preserved Melons, Spiced
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the melons
Cut the melons into quarters, remove the seeds and tender flesh, then peel the rinds.
Cut about 5 pounds of melon into scallops.
Make the syrup and soak
In a basin, combine 6 pounds of sugar and 5 pints of vinegar, then bring the mixture to a boil.
Pour the boiling syrup over the melons in a jar.
Drain the syrup the next day, boil it again, and skim it.
Pour the hot syrup over the melons.
Repeat the previous four steps daily for 5 days.
Spice, cool and seal
On the sixth day, boil the syrup again, adding white ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Let the mixture boil slowly for 15 minutes, then skim it clear.
Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
Once cool, transfer the melons to glass jars and seal tightly.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Melon + gingertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together342 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Melons
- The main fruit, which absorbs the sweet, acidic syrup and becomes preserved.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the syrup and draws water out of the fruit, helping preserve it.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the preserve a sharp tang and helps keep it from spoiling.
- White ginger
- Adds a warm, fragrant aroma and spice to the syrup.
- Cinnamon
- Adds a sweet, woody aroma to the syrup.
- Cloves
- Adds a strong, warm aroma to the syrup.
The step that matters
Reboiling and skimming the syrup each day. Each boil thickens the syrup and drives off water, so the sugar and vinegar gradually penetrate the fruit. Skimming removes foam that could spoil the preserve.
Swap the melon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, clove):
- Quincefits better
- Orangefits better
- Vanillafits better
- Melonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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