Name: Feta Salad
Ingredients: 1 bunch watercress, chopped; 6 tomatoes, diced; 2 cucumbers, diced; 1 onion, diced; 1/4 pound feta; 3 tablespoons olive oil (or to taste); 1 bunch parsley

Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Feta Salad

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the watercress, tomatoes, cucumbers and onion in a bowl.
Mix together the feta, oil, and parsley, then sprinkle this mixture over the salad.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

319Calories

11 gProtein

23 gFat

19 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Feta Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Watercress	1 cup (34g)	4
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1

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 + olivetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Watercress + parsleytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together469 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Watercress + cucumbertop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together140 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Tomato + cucumbertop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,405 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Olive + parsleytop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,649 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Feta: Adds salty, tangy flavor and a crumbly texture that contrasts with the fresh vegetables.
Olive oil: Adds fat and richness, carrying flavor and coating the vegetables lightly.
Tomatoes: Provide moisture and acidity, forming much of the salad's juice and freshness.
Cucumbers: Contribute crisp texture and moisture, keeping the salad cool and light.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (watercress, tomato, cucumber, olive, parsley):

Lettucefits better
Chivefits better
Eggplantfits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against watercress, tomato, cucumber, olive, parsley. 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.