Why it works: Allspice and clove 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 ↓
Grape Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Boil five pounds of ripe grapes and strain through a colander.
Add two and one-half pounds of brown sugar, one pint of vinegar, one tablespoon of cloves, one tablespoon of pepper, one tablespoon of cinnamon, one tablespoon of allspice, and one-half tablespoon of salt.
Boil until thick as ordinary catsup.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Allspice | 1 tsp ground (1.9g) | 5 |
| 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.
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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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Grape + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,675 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Grape + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,909 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
- Ripe grapes
- Provide the main fruit body, sweetness, and natural pectin that helps the sauce thicken.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and a deeper, caramel-like flavor, and helps thicken the sauce as it cooks.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that gives the ketchup its tang and balances the sweetness.
- Cloves
- Contribute warm, aromatic spice flavor.
- Cinnamon (in the method)
- Contributes warm, sweet aroma and spice flavor.
- Allspice
- Adds aromatic, warm spice flavor that rounds out the sauce.
The step that matters
Boil until thick as ordinary catsup. Thickening happens as water evaporates and the sugar and fruit solids concentrate. Stopping too early leaves the sauce thin and watery, while cooking too long can scorch the sugar and make it overly dense. Check that it holds its shape on a spoon.
Swap the grape
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, vinegar, pepper, allspice, clove):
- Limefits better
- Lemonfits better
- Orangefits better
- Grapethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, vinegar, pepper, allspice, clove. 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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