Name: Sopsky
Ingredients: 2 tomatoes; 1 English cucumber; 1 green pepper; 1 yellow pepper; 1 red pepper; 1/2 vidalia onions or Spanish onion; 200-300 g feta cheese

Why it works: Tomato and cucumber are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Sopsky

Ingredients

Directions

Chop all vegetables into cube-like pieces.
Shred or crumble the feta over top.
For an authentic Czech meal, serve with a goulash and potato pancakes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

240Calories

12 gProtein

10 gFat

28 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Feta Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bell Pepper	1 medium (119g)	31
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

Tomato + cucumbertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,405 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,923 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,050 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + feta cheesetop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together369 recipes

Shared aroma: hexyl acetate (fruity, apple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Feta cheese: Adds salty, tangy flavour and a crumbly, creamy contrast to the vegetables.
Tomatoes: Provide juice and moisture that gives the salad its fresh body.
English cucumber: Adds crisp texture and cool, watery freshness to the salad.
Bell peppers: Contribute crunch and mild sweetness, along with bright colour.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, cucumber, pepper, feta cheese):

Capsicumfits better
Spinachfits better
Eggplantfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, cucumber, pepper, feta cheese. 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.