Name: Venison, Oxford John of
Ingredients: slices of venison (leg, loin, or neck); powdered spice; hot fat for frying; claret; strong brown gravy; white wine vinegar; powdered sugar; fried bread-crumbs

Why it works: White wine and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,776 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Venison, Oxford John of

Ingredients

Directions

Cut venison into equal slices, ½ inch thick.
Season slices with powdered spice.
Fry in hot fat until brown on both sides.
Place in a stewpan and cover with equal parts claret and strong brown gravy.
Add 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon powdered sugar, and a few fried bread-crumbs.
Cover and heat gently until just below boiling.
Serve the venison hot, strained with sauce.

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.

White wine + vinegartop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,776 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,806 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
White wine + breadtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together827 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Venison + breadtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together116 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Vinegar + breadtop 25% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,672 recipes

Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).