Name: Salad Seasoning
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons Romano cheese; 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds; 1 teaspoon paprika; 3/4 teaspoon salt or salt substitute; 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds; 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Why it works: Sesame and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,000 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Salad Seasoning

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Romano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt or salt substitute
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Directions

Dash cayenne pepper.
Mix with Italian salad dressing and pasta.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

249Calories

8 gProtein

23 gFat

4 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sesame	1 tbsp (14g)	120
Romano Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Celery Seed	1 stalk (40g)	6
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Poppy Seed	not in our table	0

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.

Sesame + garlictop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,000 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together16,012 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Sesame + poppy seedtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together106 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Garlic + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Celery + garlictop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,321 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

Romano cheese: Adds a salty, sharp, savory flavor that gives the mix its depth.
Sesame seeds: Add a nutty flavor and a light crunch.
Paprika: Adds color and a mild, sweet pepper flavor.
Poppy seeds: Add small crunchy seeds and a slightly nutty taste.
Garlic powder: Adds a concentrated savory garlic aroma.
Celery seeds: Add a fresh, herbal celery aroma.

Swap the poppy seed

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (romano cheese, sesame, celery, garlic, pepper):

Parsleyfits better
Oreganofits better
Basilfits better
Poppy seedthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against romano cheese, sesame, celery, garlic, pepper. 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.