Name: Sweet Pepper Relish
Ingredients: one-half cups white sugar; one-half pints vinegar; two tablespoons salt; one-half dozen red peppers; one-half dozen green pep- pers; vinegar; salt

Why it works: Vinegar and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 27,814 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Sweet Pepper Relish

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Chop peppers and onions finely.
Cover with boiling water.
Let stand fifteen minutes.

Cook and bottle

Drain and add vinegar, sugar, and salt, which have been brought to a boil together.
Cook five minutes.
Bottle or can.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

58Calories

0 gProtein

0 gFat

14 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 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.

Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,814 recipes

Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Sugar + vinegartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + peppertop 32% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together19,401 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 19,401 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

Peppers: Provide the main bulk, mild sweet flavor, and tender texture of the relish.
White sugar: Adds sweetness that balances the sharpness of the vinegar.
Vinegar: Adds acidity and tang, and helps preserve the relish.

The step that matters

Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil before adding them. Heating the vinegar with the sugar and salt dissolves the sugar and salt fully, so the liquid is evenly seasoned and hot when it meets the drained peppers, which helps the mixture cook evenly during the short simmer.

“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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Sweet Pepper Relish