Name: Almond Emulsion for a Cough
Ingredients: 6 ounces sweet almonds, blanched; 2 ounces white sugar; 1 pint cold water; 2 tablespoons sweet spirits of nitre

Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓

Almond Emulsion for a Cough

Ingredients

6 ounces sweet almonds, blanched
2 ounces white sugar
1 pint cold water
2 tablespoons sweet spirits of nitre

Directions

In a marble mortar, beat the almonds and sugar until well combined.
Gradually add the cold water while continuing to mix.
Strain the mixture to remove solids.
Add the sweet spirits of nitre and mix well.
Cork the mixture and store it in a cool place or cold water.
Take 1 teaspoon three times a day.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,679 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Almond + spirittop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together143 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Sugar + spirittop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together602 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).