Name: Gluten-free Split Pea Soup
Ingredients: In large stockpot add the following:; 2-3 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon herb pepper seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; Dash of garlic (to taste); Dash of parsley; 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional); Salt and pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon dry mustard (or 1-2 teaspoon prepared mustard); One to two cans chicken broth; Three stalks celery, chopped; Three carrots, grated or chopped; Six potatoes, peeled and cubed; 1/2 onion, chopped; 2 pounds ham, cubed; One bag of green split peas

Why it works: Allspice and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,536 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,536 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cumin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,103 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together34,122 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Allspice + mustardtop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,928 recipes

Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

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

What each ingredient does

Green split peas: Form the body of the soup as they soften and break down during long cooking.
Ham: Adds savory, salty meaty flavor to the broth as it simmers.
Potatoes: Soften into the broth and add body and starch to the soup.
Chicken broth: Provides the liquid base and savory flavor for the soup.
Carrots: Add natural sweetness and color as they cook down.
Celery: Contributes aromatic flavor and a little texture to the soup.

The step that matters

Bringing to a boil, then keeping a gentle simmer. Split peas can scorch on the bottom of the pot if heat is too high, and the broth can reduce too much. Cooking on medium or low for the full time lets the peas break down evenly into a smooth, thick soup.

Swap the sesame

The recipe marks sesame as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cumin, pepper, allspice, garlic, parsley, cinnamon, mustard):

Chickpeafits better
Lentilsfits better
Beansfits better
Sesamethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cumin, pepper, allspice, garlic, parsley, cinnamon, mustard. 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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Pork	100g cooked	242
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Sesame	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Pea	1/2 cup (72g)	62
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Carrot	1 medium (61g)	25
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Cinnamon	1 tsp ground (2.6g)	6
Celery	1 stalk (40g)	6
Allspice	1 tsp ground (1.9g)	5
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

Gluten-free Split Pea Soup