Why it works: Sugar and raisin are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,481 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Sima
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Rinse and dry the lemon.
Grate the outer yellow peel of the lemon into the container.
Add the sugar and water to the container.
Cover the container and let the mixture cool.
When lukewarm, add the yeast and the lemon juice.
Let stand for two days.
Bottle and ferment
Pour the sima through a sieve into bottles.
Add 1 tsp. sugar and a couple of raisins to each bottle.
Cap each bottle tightly and place in a cool place.
After about a week or two, the raisins will float to the top, indicating the sima is ready.
Do not let it ferment too long.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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.
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Lemon + raisintop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,742 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Lemon + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Dried yeast
- Ferments the sugar into carbonation and a light alcohol, giving the drink its fizz.
- Sugar
- Feeds the yeast during fermentation and provides the drink's sweetness.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity and bright citrus flavor.
- Lemon zest
- Contributes aromatic citrus oils from the peel.
The step that matters
Do not let it ferment too long.. Yeast keeps converting sugar into carbon dioxide even after bottling. In tightly capped bottles the gas builds pressure, so over-fermenting makes the sima overly fizzy and sweetness is lost as sugar is consumed.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, raisin):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Datesfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, raisin. 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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