Arepas Trinidad

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. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Garlic + chivetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,149 recipes

   Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

3. Onion + chivetop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,907 recipes

   Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

4. Pepper + thymetop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together11,585 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

5. Garlic + thymetop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,608 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

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

What each ingredient does

Cornmeal

Forms the main body of the dough, giving the arepas their structure and corn flavour.

Butter

Rubbed into the dry mix to add richness and tenderness to the dough.

Lard

Rubbed into the dry mix to add fat, tenderness and a short, crumbly texture.

Baking powder

Releases gas in the dough, helping it lighten slightly as it cooks.

Ground beef

Provides the savoury, browned meat filling that flavours the arepa.

Flour

Adds gluten-forming structure so the soft dough holds its shape when folded.

The step that matters

Swap the thyme

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, beef, pepper, garlic, onion, chive):

1. Parsleyfits about as well
2. Capersfits about as well
3. Thymethe original
4. Turmericfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, beef, pepper, garlic, onion, chive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.