Name: Fruit Pudding-
Ingredients: half pound of bread crumbs; half pound of mashed potatoes; one teaspoonful of soda; two cups of raisins; two eggs

Why it works: Bread and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 22,662 recipes. Both carry (e)-2-octenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

Fruit Pudding-

Ingredients

Directions

Combine half pound bread crumbs, half pound mashed potatoes, two eggs, one teaspoon soda, and two cups raisins, dissolving in one cup molasses.
Steam for three hours.
Serve with sauce.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

805Calories

24 gProtein

7 gFat

161 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49

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

By Keokuk (Iowa). Westminster Presbyterian church. 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.

Bread + eggtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together22,662 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Bread + potatotop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together434 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Potato + raisintop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together91 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Bread + raisintop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,111 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Raisin + eggtop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,556 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Bread crumbs: Provide the bulk and soak up liquid to give the pudding its body.
Mashed potatoes: Add moisture and a soft, tender crumb to the pudding.
Eggs: Bind the mixture and help it set as it cooks.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that lightens the pudding.
Raisins: Add sweetness, chewiness and pockets of fruit flavour.