Why it works: Cinnamon and clove 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 ↓
Pineapple Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Take 1 measure vinegar, 3 measures brown sugar, a few whole cloves and peppercorns. Boil together.
If preferred, use 1 tsp cinnamon to 14 tsp cloves tied in cloth for spicing.
Add 4 measures pineapple cut into small pieces, and boil until fruit is golden yellow.
If the syrup is not rich, boil down before pouring it over the fruit.
Ferment
Place in jar and leave to ferment 2 or 3 weeks. It improves with age.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pineapple | 1 cup chunks (165g) | 82 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cinnamon + pineappletop 11% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together549 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Clove + pineappletop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together279 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Vinegar + pineappletop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together411 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
Cinnamon and sugar 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
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the syrup thicken and turn rich as it boils down.
- Vinegar
- Provides acidity that sharpens the syrup and helps preserve the fruit during fermentation.
- Pineapple
- Supplies the fruit that softens and turns golden in the syrup, bringing its own sweetness and aroma.
The step that matters
Boiling the fruit in the syrup. Boiling until the fruit turns golden yellow, and reducing the syrup if it is thin, concentrates sugar and flavour so the pickle keeps well and tastes rich rather than watery.
Swap the pineapple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cinnamon, clove, vinegar, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Quincefits better
- Figfits better
- Pineapplethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cinnamon, clove, vinegar, sugar. 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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