Why it works: Allspice and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Peppers, Whole, to Pickle Quickly
Ingredients
Directions
Brine
Place 100 peppers in a bowl and cover them with a strong brine made from 1½ cups of coarse sea salt and enough water to submerge the peppers.
Put a board over the peppers to keep them submerged and let them sit for 2 days.
Prepare the peppers
Drain the peppers and make a small incision in the side of each to release excess water.
Wipe the peppers with a soft cloth and place them in a stone jar.
Pickle
Add ½ ounce of allspice, ½ ounce of cloves, and a small lump of alum to the jar.
Pour cold vinegar over the peppers and securely tie a bladder over the jar.
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.
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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + vinegartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,548 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
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Pepper + vinegartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together27,814 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Peppers
- Are the main vegetable; they soften and absorb the brine and vinegar flavours as they pickle.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the peppers during the brine, firming them and seasoning them.
- Cold vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves the peppers and gives the pickle its sharp flavour.
- Alum
- Helps the peppers stay firm and crisp during pickling.
- Allspice
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavour to the pickling liquid.
- Cloves
- Adds strong, aromatic spice flavour to the pickle.
The step that matters
Drain and incise the peppers after brining. The peppers must be fully drained and incised so excess water is released. Trapped brine and water dilute the vinegar and can make the pickle soft or spoil it.
“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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