Bulgarian Shashlik

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. Mustard + cucumbertop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,281 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

2. Mustard + oniontop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,259 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

3. Pork + mushroomtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,875 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-propylphenol (allspice, anise).

4. Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,050 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

5. Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,430 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork shoulder

Provides the main meat that becomes tender and juicy during marinating and grilling.

Vodka

Carries the honey, mustard and pepper flavours into the meat and adds aroma.

Honey

Adds sweetness and helps the surface brown on the grill.

Mustard

Adds sharp, tangy flavour that balances the sweetness of the honey.

Bacon

Adds fat and smoky, savoury flavour to the skewers as it cooks.

The step that matters

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, vodka, honey, pepper, mustard, cucumber, mushroom):

1. Capsicumfits better
2. Lettucefits better
3. Horseradishfits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pork, vodka, honey, pepper, mustard, cucumber, mushroom. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.