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French Pickles

A pickled vegetable mixture of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, mustard, sugar, celery seed in vinegar.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Tomato and cucumber are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,405 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

French Pickles

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the vegetables

  1. Put the washed vegetables through a meat grinder.

  2. Sprinkle thickly with salt.

  3. Let stand overnight.

  4. Drain several hours.

Cook and seal

  1. Put everything on the stove together.

  2. Let come to a brisk boil.

  3. Bottle and seal.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

91Calories
3 gProtein
0 gFat
20 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Celery Seed1 stalk (40g)6
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3

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

By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. 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.

  1. Tomato + cucumbertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,405 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Celery + tomatotop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,377 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  3. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Celery + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,745 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,050 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Vinegar
Provides the sour acidity that defines the pickle and helps preserve the vegetables.
Tomatoes
Supply bulk, moisture and body to the relish once ground and cooked down.
Onions
Add savory sweetness and aroma and contribute texture to the mixture.
Cucumbers
Provide crisp texture and fresh, mild flavor to the pickle mixture.
Celery seed
Adds a warm, aromatic celery flavor that complements the vinegar and vegetables.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, celery, tomato, cucumber):

  1. Lettucefits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Mustardfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, celery, tomato, cucumber. 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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