Why it works: Raisin and fig work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 737 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Compound Barley Water
Ingredients
Directions
In a pot, combine the decoction of barley and distilled water.
Bring to a boil and add the raisins first.
Next, add the sliced figs.
Finally, add the sliced and bruised liquorice root shortly before finishing.
Strain the mixture to ensure it measures two pints.
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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Raisin + figtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Barley + figtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together48 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Barley + raisintop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together57 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
- Barley decoction
- Forms the liquid base and gives the drink its body and mild grain flavour.
- Raisins
- Add natural sweetness and body as they soften and release their sugars into the liquid.
- Figs
- Contribute sweetness and a soft, mellow fruity flavour as they simmer.
- Liquorice root
- Adds a distinctive sweet, aromatic flavour to the infusion.
The step that matters
Adding the liquorice root shortly before finishing. Liquorice root releases its sweet, aromatic compounds quickly with heat. Added too early, prolonged simmering can make the flavour harsh or muddy, so timing it near the end keeps the drink clean and sweet.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (barley, fig):
- Vanillafits better
- Pearfits better
- Cherryfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against barley, fig. 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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