Jambalaya I

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.

1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together14,076 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

3. Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

4. Pepper + celerytop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together16,012 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

5. Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,769 recipes

   Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

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

What each ingredient does

Chicken

Provides the main protein and savory flavor as it browns and simmers in the rice.

Smoked sausage

Adds smoky, savory flavor and fat that seasons the oil and the rice.

Rice

Absorbs the broth as it cooks, setting the dish's body and texture.

Onions

Soften and sweeten as they cook, forming the aromatic base of the dish.

Chicken broth

Supplies the liquid the rice cooks in, carrying seasoning into each grain.

Green pepper

Softens during sauteing, adding a mild vegetal aroma to the base.

The step that matters

Swap the celery

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, pepper, onion, garlic, rice, tomato):

1. Cuminfits better
2. Corianderfits about as well
3. Thymefits about as well
4. Celerythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, pepper, onion, garlic, rice, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.