Name: Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad
Ingredients: 2 large cucumbers; 1 small white onion , diced (perhaps a sliced green onion could be substituted); 1 (or more, if in season) tomato , diced or wedged (optional, adds color); ½ cup white vinegar; ½ cup water; Additional seasoning as you may desire (e.g. salt )

Why it works: Cucumber and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers
1 small white onion , diced (perhaps a sliced green onion could be substituted)
1 (or more, if in season) tomato , diced or wedged (optional, adds color)
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
Additional seasoning as you may desire (e.g. salt )

Directions

Prepare

Peel the cucumbers, either completely or leaving some green, in a pattern you prefer.
Slice cucumbers about ¼ inch (½ cm) thick.

Dress and chill

Add vinegar and water, adjusting the proportions to your taste.
Refrigerate, then serve cool to cold, while the ingredients are still crisp.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

129Calories

4 gProtein

0 gFat

29 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Green Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced (52g)	16
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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.

Cucumber + tomatotop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,405 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,050 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,633 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + vinegartop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,734 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,226 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

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

What each ingredient does

Cucumbers: Provide the crisp, watery body of the salad.
White vinegar: Adds acidity that gives the salad its tangy flavor.
Onion: Adds sharp aroma and flavor to the salad.

Swap the tomato

The recipe marks tomato as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cucumber, onion, vinegar):

Radishfits better
Mustardfits better
Chivefits better
Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cucumber, onion, vinegar. 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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Cucumber, Tomato, and Onion Salad