Why it works: Onion and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,259 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Spanish Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Slice green tomatoes and place one gallon in a container.
Add one and a half cupfuls of salt, four large onions, and a small quantity of green pepper.
Let it drip all night.
Pickle
Add white mustard, spice, cloves, two and a half cups of sugar, and enough vinegar to cover.
Let it boil fifteen minutes.
Put in a jar and add vinegar sufficient to cover.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Mustard | 1 tsp (5g) yellow | 3 |
| 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.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,259 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Mustard + clovetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,829 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
-
Onion + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together16,901 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Onion + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,226 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Green tomatoes (in the method)
- Form the bulk of the pickle and soften as they cure in salt and vinegar.
- Salt
- Draws moisture out of the tomatoes and onions so they drip and firm up.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves and sharpens the pickle.
- Onions
- Add savour and a sharp aroma that mellows during the boil.
The step that matters
Letting the tomatoes drip overnight in salt. Salt draws water out of the tomatoes through osmosis. Skipping or shortening this drip leaves excess liquid that dilutes the vinegar and makes the pickle watery and less crisp.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, mustard, clove, vinegar):
- Horseradishfits better
- Shallotfits better
- Radishfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, mustard, clove, vinegar. 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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