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Watermel Pickle

A pickle made by simmering watermelon pieces in a vinegar and sugar syrup with spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: White wine and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,776 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Watermel Pickle

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the watermelon

  1. Remove the green rind from the watermelon and cut it into desired pieces.

  2. Soak the pieces in strong alum water overnight.

  3. The next day, scald the watermelon pieces in water.

Make the syrup and pickle

  1. In a pot, combine the vinegar and sugar to make a syrup.

  2. Add the watermelon to the syrup and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

  3. Add spices to taste, but use sparingly to avoid darkening the pickles.

  4. Scald the syrup again and pour it over the watermelon for three mornings.

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.

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. White wine + vinegartop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,776 recipes

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

  2. Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,806 recipes

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

  3. White wine + sugartop 30% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,586 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Watermelon
Forms the main body of the pickle and absorbs the syrup as it softens.
White sugar
Sweetens the syrup and helps preserve the pickle and give it body.
White wine vinegar
Adds acidity that sharpens flavor and helps preserve the pickle.
Strong alum water
Firms the watermelon pieces so they hold their shape during simmering.

The step that matters

Adding the spices. Spices, especially those with color, can darken the pickles when overused. Adding them sparingly keeps the pale appearance and lets the vinegar and sugar flavor come through.

“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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