White Christmas

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. Apricot + pineappletop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together377 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

2. Coconut + pineappletop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together651 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

3. Coconut + ricetop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,063 recipes

   Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

4. Coconut + gingertop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,168 recipes

   Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

5. Apricot + gingertop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together341 recipes

   Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Copha (solidified coconut oil)

Sets firm when chilled, binding the mixture and giving it a crisp, melting texture.

Rice bubbles

Provide the crisp, airy structure that the set fat holds together.

Milk powder

Adds milky sweetness and a soft, dry body to the mixture.

Icing sugar

Sweetens the mixture and dissolves smoothly into the melted fat.

Desiccated coconut

Adds coconut flavour and a chewy, dry texture.

The step that matters

Swap the ginger

The recipe marks ginger as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coconut, rice, sugar, milk powder, apricot, pineapple):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Gingerthe original
3. Nutmegfits less well
4. Corianderfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against coconut, rice, sugar, milk powder, apricot, pineapple. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.