Why it works: Clove and cinnamon 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 ↓
Cucumber Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Make a brine that will bear up an egg ; drop in cucumbers, and let stand ten days ; take out of brine and drain. They should stand all night in clear water after being taken out of brine. After the clear water has drained off, put them in a kettle with grape and cabbage leaves and a lump of alum ; cover them with vinegar weakened with water, and let them simmer until of a pretty green color ; take them out to cool and drain ; and put them into a three gallon jar; take one ounce mace, three ounces cloves, three ounces cinnamon, quarter pound mustard seed, one ounce celery seed, quarter pound whole black pepper, quarter pound allspice, two table-spoonfuls ground mustard, handful chopped horse-radish, two pepper pods, four onions, two ounces race ginger, two pounds sugar ; put spices in one quart vinegar ; boil and pour over pickle. — Mrs. Henry Spears.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 12 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Celery Seed | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| Vinegar | 1 tbsp (15ml) distilled | 3 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Mace | not in our table | 0 |
| Seed | 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.
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.
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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, cinnamon, mustard, celery, pepper, allspice, ginger):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Turmericfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clove, cinnamon, mustard, celery, pepper, allspice, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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