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North Carolina Watermelon Pickles

Pickled watermelon rind preserved in a sweet vinegar syrup.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

North Carolina Watermelon Pickles

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the rind

  1. Boil rind until tender; drain.

Make the syrup over several days

  1. Combine sugar, vinegar, oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon; pour over rind.

  2. Drain the syrup; boil and pour back over rind.

  3. Repeat on the third and fourth days.

  4. On the fifth day, repeat.

Jar and seal

  1. Place rind in jars, cover with syrup and seal.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

230Calories
1 gProtein
14 gFat
28 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Watermelon1 cup diced (152g)46
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

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.

  1. Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Vinegar + clovetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,386 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Vinegar + cinnamontop 19% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Watermelon rind
Forms the firm, tender body of the pickle and absorbs the flavoured syrup.
Sugar
Sweetens the pickle and, in the syrup, draws moisture out to help preserve the rind.
White vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps preserve the pickle.
Oil of cloves
Adds a warm, aromatic clove flavour to the syrup.
Oil of cinnamon
Adds a sweet, aromatic cinnamon flavour to the syrup.

The step that matters

Repeating the syrup boil over several days. Reboiling and pouring the syrup back over the rind on each repeat gradually concentrates the sugar and flavour and draws moisture out. Skipping or rushing these repeats can leave the rind under-flavoured and less well preserved.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar, cinnamon):

  1. Allspicefits about as well
  2. Nutmegfits about as well
  3. Clovethe original
  4. Cardamomfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar, cinnamon. 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.

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