Name: Mince Meat
Ingredients: 2 pounds lean fresh beef, boiled and chopped fine; 1 pound beef suet, powdered; 5 pounds apples, pared, cored, and chopped; 2 pounds raisins, seeded and chopped; 1 pound Sultana raisins, washed and picked over; 2 pounds currants, washed and carefully picked over; ¾ pound citron, cut up fine; 2 tablespoons cinnamon; 1 powdered nutmeg; 2 tablespoons mace; 1 tablespoon cloves; 1 tablespoon allspice; 1 tablespoon fine salt; 2½ pounds brown sugar; 1 quart boiled cider; 1 pint pickled blackberries

Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

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.

Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,686 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,390 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Nutmeg + macetop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,557 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

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

What each ingredient does

Lean fresh beef: Provides the meaty body and richness of the mincemeat filling.
Beef suet: Adds fat that keeps the filling moist and rich as it matures.
Apples: Contribute moisture, bulk and tartness to the filling.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a deep molasses flavour that helps preserve the mince.
Boiled cider: Adds concentrated apple acidity and sweetness to the filling.
Raisins: Add concentrated sweetness, chew and moisture to the filling.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, apple, raisin, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, clove):

Figfits better
Quincefits better
Orangefits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, apple, raisin, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, 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.