Why it works: Fig and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,241 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Fig Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the figs
Remove all stems from the figs.
Treat the figs with a scalding soda solution and rinse thoroughly.
Cook the marmalade
In a pot, combine the figs and just enough water to start cooking.
Add 1½ pounds of sugar for every 3 pounds of figs.
Cook the mixture until it reaches a marmalade consistency.
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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Fig + sugartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,241 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Figs
- Provide the bulk of the fruit, along with pectin and natural sweetness, forming the marmalade's body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the marmalade and, as it concentrates during cooking, helps it thicken to a spreadable set.
The step that matters
Cook until marmalade consistency. Sugar and fruit pectin set as water evaporates and the mixture concentrates. Stopping too early leaves a runny spread, while cooking too long makes it stiff and dense.
“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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