Beet Salad

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. Cabbage + horseradishtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together481 recipes

   Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

2. Vinegar + horseradishtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,609 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Cabbage + vinegartop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,924 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

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

5. Horseradish + sugartop 27% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,314 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

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

What each ingredient does

Ground cabbage

Adds bulk and a crisp, fresh texture to the salad.

Vinegar

Provides acidity that brightens the flavor and balances the sweetness.

Ground horseradish

Contributes a sharp, pungent heat that gives the salad its bite.

Cooked and ground beets

Supply the main body, earthy flavor, and color of the salad.

Granulated sugar

Adds sweetness that offsets the acidity of the vinegar and horseradish.

Swap the cabbage

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, horseradish, sugar):

1. Mustardfits better
2. Beetrootfits better
3. Radishfits better
4. Cabbagethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, horseradish, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.