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Chutney Sauce

A vinegar-based chutney with tomatoes, peppers, onions, raisins, apples, spices, and brown sugar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Chicago. Bethany union church. Woman's society. [from old catalog] · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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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 ↓

Chutney Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

Combine and prepare

  1. Combine four quarts vinegar, three cups brown sugar, four green peppers, six onions, sixteen apples, four quarts tomatoes, one-half pound raisins, and three tablespoons salt.

  2. Chop the green peppers, onions, and apples; pare the tomatoes and add them to the vinegar; then add three tablespoons cinnamon, three of allspice, and one and one-half cloves.

Cook

  1. Cook slowly and steadily until thick, about two hours.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

199Calories
3 gProtein
1 gFat
48 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Chicago. Bethany union church. Woman's society. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  3. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Vinegar
Provides sharp acidity that balances the sugar and brightens the sauce.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and helps the sauce thicken and turn rich and dark as it cooks.
Tomatoes
Supply bulk and moisture that cook down into the body of the sauce.
Raisins
Add concentrated sweetness and a soft, chewy texture.
Green peppers
Contribute a fresh, slightly bitter vegetable flavor and some texture.
Onions
Add savory depth and aroma that softens as the sauce cooks.

The step that matters

Cook slowly and steadily until thick. Gentle heat lets the liquid evaporate gradually so the sauce thickens evenly. Sugar-rich mixtures can scorch on the bottom if the heat is too high, which gives a burnt taste.

Swap the onion

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

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Sweet potatofits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, sugar, tomato, raisin, cinnamon, pepper, clove. 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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