Name: Nutty Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients: 1 lb small Brussels sprouts; 1 tsp virgin olive oil; 8 toasted hazelnuts or almonds, chopped; ⅛ tsp ground cardamom

Why it works: Hazelnut and cardamom share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Nutty Brussels Sprouts

Time7 to 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb small Brussels sprouts
1 tsp virgin olive oil
8 toasted hazelnuts or almonds, chopped
⅛ tsp ground cardamom

Directions

Prepare

Wash Brussels sprouts and trim off bottoms of stems and loose leaves.

Cook and serve

Steam sprouts over boiling water until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove sprouts to a serving bowl and stir in olive oil, nuts and cardamom.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

188Calories

4 gProtein

15 gFat

13 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Brussels Sprout	1 cup (156g)	56
Almond	1 almond (1.2g)	7
Cardamom	1 tsp ground (2g)	6
Hazelnut	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.

Hazelnut + cardamomtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together19 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Olive + hazelnuttop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together290 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Olive + cardamomtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together632 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Brussels sprouts + olivetop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together38 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Brussels sprouts + cardamomtop 61% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together0 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Brussels sprouts: Provide the main body of the dish, becoming tender and mild when steamed.
Hazelnuts or almonds: Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavour that contrasts with the soft sprouts.
Virgin olive oil: Adds fat and richness, carrying flavour and giving the sprouts a smooth coating.