Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Czech Goulash
Ingredients
Directions
Brown the meat
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stew pot over high heat.
Combine the beef and pork and brown them in the oil on all sides.
When the meat is browned, add the onions and enough water to cover the meat and onion mixture.
Add the spices
Tie the pickling spices in a cheesecloth or use a metal tea ball only half full. Let the spices expand while cooking.
Drop the cheesecloth or tea ball into the meat mixture.
Simmer and serve
Simmer the mixture for 45 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato soup, and catsup; stir well.
Finally add the measured spices, vinegar, and whiskey.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour with the lid on the pot. Check and stir frequently to prevent scorching or burning.
Serve in bowls with large spoons. (Optional: add 2 cups of egg noodles while simmering until tender; add more water if needed.)
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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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Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Beef + porktop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,690 recipes
Shared aroma: 12-methyltridecanal (tallowy, beefy).
-
Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,092 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Beef and pork
- Provide the meat that becomes tender during long simmering and gives the stew its body.
- Onions
- Add sweetness and aromatic depth as they soften into the broth.
- Diced tomatoes
- Add acidity and body, forming the base of the rich red sauce.
- Catsup
- Adds sweetness, acidity and concentrated tomato flavour to the sauce.
- Tomato soup
- Thickens the sauce and adds smooth tomato richness.
- Paprika
- Contributes warm color and a mild sweet-smoky aroma to the goulash.
The step that matters
Simmer gently with the lid on and stir often. Tomato-rich sugars and meat proteins scorch easily on the hot base of the pot. Low heat with the lid on keeps moisture in, while frequent stirring prevents burnt spots that would taste bitter in the sauce.
Flavor stand-ins for the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, pork, meat, tomato, clove, allspice, nutmeg):
- Capsicumbetter flavor fit
- Carrotbetter flavor fit
- Potatobetter flavor fit
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against beef, pork, meat, tomato, clove, allspice, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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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