German Style Red Cabbage

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. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together29,058 recipes

   Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

2. Cabbage + oniontop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together3,001 recipes

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

3. Cabbage + garlictop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together635 recipes

   Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

4. Apple + red winetop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together148 recipes

   Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

5. Red wine + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together575 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

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

What each ingredient does

Red cabbage

Forms the bulk of the dish and softens into tender strands during long, covered simmering.

Red wine vinegar

Adds acidity that keeps the cabbage bright red and balances the sweetness.

Brown sugar

Adds sweetness that rounds out the sharp vinegar and wine.

Apples

Add sweetness and soft texture as they cook briefly at the end.

Bacon

Its rendered fat adds savory richness to the cooking pot.

Onions

Add savory sweetness and aroma as they soften in the fat.

The step that matters

Swap the nutmeg

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cabbage, onion, apple, garlic, red wine, vinegar, sugar):

1. Clovefits better
2. Gingerfits better
3. Thymefits better
4. Nutmegthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cabbage, onion, apple, garlic, red wine, vinegar, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.