Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Martinoe Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Gather when young and tender ; wipe, and drop in strong brine until you wish to pickle; then soak in clear water twenty- four hours; put them in an iron pot and cover with vinegar and water (cold) ; let them simmer slowly, until they blacken ; do not boil. Put them in a jar (two gallon) ; chop four onions fine ; add one pound brown sugar, handful sliced horse-radish, handful cloves and allspice, one ounce race ginger, one ounce celery seed, two ounces mustard seed ; sprinkle these all in the jar ; boil strong vinegar and pour over the pickle ; set a plate over the jar, to cover while hot. — Mrs. Cooke, Va.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 9 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Celery Seed | 1 stalk (40g) | 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 |
| 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 + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,620 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,169 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Mustard + allspicetop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,928 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, ginger, celery, mustard, clove, allspice, vinegar):
- Horseradishfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Radishfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, ginger, celery, mustard, clove, allspice, vinegar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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