Why it works: Syrup and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,842 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Sybop Db Citron
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Make four quarts of syrup by dissolving sugar in water: use ten glasses of water per pound of sugar.
Boil the thin rinds of a dozen lemons in four quarts of water and a pint of water.
When boiled, strain the mixture through a tamis, squeeze the juice of the lemons, and strain again.
Add the syrup or four pounds of sugar (as desired) and boil until a fine syrup.
Bottle
Let the syrup cool, then bottle it for use.
Alternatively, put three pounds of loaf sugar with one quart of lemon or orange juice (Seville oranges best) into an earthen jar, set it into a pan of cold water, boil until quite clear, strain well, and bottle it. Cork it.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 4 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Syrup | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
-
Syrup + sugartop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,842 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Syrup + lemontop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,235 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Sweetens the syrup and, once dissolved and boiled, gives it body and keeps it stable.
- Lemon
- Supplies the lemon flavour and acidity; the rinds add aroma and the juice adds sharpness.
- Isinglass
- Acts as a clarifying agent that helps the syrup become clear.
The step that matters
Straining the boiled rind mixture. Straining through a fine tamis removes rind and pulp so the syrup stays clear and smooth rather than cloudy or bitter.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (syrup, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Pearfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against syrup, sugar. 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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