Name: Fig Pudding
Ingredients: 1 cup suet, chopped; 1 cup molasses; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup milk; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup figs, chopped

Why it works: Milk and fig are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,026 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Fig Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

In a large bowl, combine the suet, molasses, eggs, baking soda, and milk.
Gradually add the flour and mix until well combined.
Fold in the chopped figs.

Steam and serve

Pour the mixture into a greased pudding mold.
Steam for 2 to 3 hours until cooked through.

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.

Milk + figtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,026 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Flour + figtop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,192 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,429 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Suet: Adds richness and a moist, tender crumb as it melts during steaming.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, dark color and a deep caramel-like flavor.
Eggs: Bind the batter and help give the pudding structure as it cooks.
Baking soda: Reacts with the molasses's acidity to help the pudding rise and lighten.
All-purpose flour: Provides the main structure that sets the pudding as it cooks.
Figs: Add chewy texture and natural fruit sweetness throughout the pudding.