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English Chutney

A sweet and spicy chutney of tomatoes, peaches, onions, and spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Why it works: Clove and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓

English Chutney

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Add 16 ripe tomatoes and 1 lb chopped raisins.

  2. Add 1/2 red pepper chopped finely and 12 peaches.

  3. Add 1 lb onions chopped finely.

  4. Add 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

  5. Add 2 lbs brown sugar.

  6. Add 1/4 cup salt.

  7. Add 2 teaspoons ground cloves.

  8. Add 4 pints white vinegar.

  9. Add 3 tablespoons ground ginger.

  10. Add 1 to 2 lbs apples, chopped.

  11. Mix spices with sugar when preparing.

Cook

  1. Boil slowly for 4 hours.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

97Calories
3 gProtein
1 gFat
22 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peach1 medium (150g)59
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cloves1 tsp ground (2g)7
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)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 Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog]. 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. Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  2. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  3. Clove + peachtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together280 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  4. Tomato + peachtop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together143 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Clove + tomatotop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Tomatoes
Provide bulk, moisture and a fresh, tangy base that softens into the chutney.
Brown sugar (in the method)
Adds sweetness and helps preserve the chutney while thickening it during long cooking.
White vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens the flavour and helps preserve the chutney.
Peaches
Add fruity sweetness and soft body that breaks down into the chutney.
Apples (in the method)
Add pectin and body, helping the chutney thicken as it cooks.

The step that matters

Boil slowly for 4 hours. Long, gentle simmering lets the vinegar evaporate and the fruit break down and thicken. Too hot a boil can scorch the sugar and stick to the pan, so stir often.

Swap the peach

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, vinegar, gin, tomato, pepper):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Cherryfits better
  3. Lemonfits better
  4. Peachthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against clove, vinegar, gin, tomato, pepper. 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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