British Christmas Pudding

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. Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,075 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Lemon + orangetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together10,634 recipes

   Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

3. Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,781 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

4. Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,673 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Orange + almondtop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,125 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Dried mixed fruit

Provides sweetness and chewy texture as the main bulk of the pudding.

Eggs

Bind the mixture and add structure as the pudding sets during steaming.

Breadcrumbs

Absorb moisture and help give the pudding a light, tender crumb.

Butter

Adds richness and fat, contributing flavour and a softer texture.

Flour

Gives structure to the batter so the pudding holds its shape.

The step that matters

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, flour, sugar, lemon, orange, almond, egg):

1. Vanillafits better
2. Figfits better
3. Cranberryfits better
4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, flour, sugar, lemon, orange, almond, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.