Name: Barbados Pork Chops
Ingredients: 4-6 thick chops; 2 tbsp. oil; 1 tsp. salt; 2 1/2 c. plum jam; 2 tbsp. chutney; 3 tbsp. rum; 1 lime, sliced; 4 bananas, cut 1 inch; Shredded lettuce; 1 lg. fry pan with cover; 4-6 baked potatoes; Green string beans, French style

Why it works: Lettuce and beans match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 500 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. 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.

Lettuce + beanstop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together500 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
Lime + lettucetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together408 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Plum + bananatop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together70 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Rum + bananatop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together183 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
Potato + beanstop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together655 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).

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

What each ingredient does

Pork chops: Provide the main meat, browned for flavor and simmered until cooked through.
Plum jam: Adds sweetness and a thick, sticky body that coats the chops as a glaze.
Chutney: Adds tang and acidity that balances the sweetness of the jam.
Rum: Adds aroma and depth of flavor to the glaze as it cooks down.
Lime: Adds acidity and a fresh citrus note to the glaze and garnish.
Bananas: Add sweetness and softness, and take on flavor from the glaze.

The step that matters

Glazing the chops. Jam and rum contain sugars that can scorch on a hot pan, turning the glaze bitter. Keep the heat moderate and cook only the stated time, just until the chops are coated and glossy.

Swap the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (plum, rum, lime, banana, lettuce, beans):

Sweet potatofits better
Beetrootfits better
Capsicumfits better
Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against plum, rum, lime, banana, lettuce, beans. 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
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Banana	1 medium (118g)	105
Rum	1/2 oz (15ml)	32
Plum	1 medium (66g)	30
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Lettuce	1 cup shredded (36g)	5
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Bean	not in our table	0

Barbados Pork Chops