Name: Christmas Plum Pudding
Ingredients: 1 pound raisins; 1 pound currants; 1 pound beef kidney suet; 1 pound granulated sugar; 1 pound bread crumbs; 1 pound flour; ½ pound candied lemon and citron peel mixed; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; 8 fresh eggs; ½ ounce bitter almonds, chopped fine; the red part of 3 large carrots, grated; 1 cup strong coffee, strained; 1 cup molasses; enough pure apple cider to achieve proper consistency

Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. 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.

Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,318 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,377 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,623 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Bind the mixture and add structure as the pudding sets during boiling.
Bread crumbs: Absorb liquids and give the pudding a soft, tender body.
Beef kidney suet: Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich in texture.
Flour: Provides structure that holds the pudding together after steaming.
Molasses: Adds sweetness, dark color, and a deep, caramel-like flavor.
Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy texture throughout the pudding.

The step that matters

Boil gently for 12 hours. A steady, gentle simmer cooks the pudding evenly without boiling it hard enough to break the mold or make the crumb dense and rough. The water must be topped up so the pudding stays submerged for the full time.

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, beef, sugar, bread, flour, lemon, nutmeg):

Figfits better
Orangefits better
Vanillafits better
Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, beef, sugar, bread, flour, lemon, nutmeg. 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.

Christmas Plum Pudding