Why it works: Mustard and horseradish match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,832 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Tartar Mustard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mustard
Rub the mustard very smooth with the salt.
Gradually wet the mixture with the horseradish vinegar.
Add the cayenne or Chili vinegar and tarragon vinegar if desired.
Steep the horseradish and rest
Pour boiling vinegar over the scraped horseradish and cover tightly.
Let it sit overnight, but ideally for 2-3 days for better flavor.
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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Mustard + horseradishtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,832 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + horseradishtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Best mustard
- Provides the base flavor and body of the sauce.
- Scraped horseradish
- Supplies the sharp, pungent heat that defines the condiment.
- Horseradish vinegar
- Thins the mustard and carries the sharp flavor through the mixture.
- Cayenne or chili vinegar
- Adds further heat and a sharp, spicy edge.
The step that matters
Rub the mustard very smooth with the salt. Thorough grinding breaks the mustard into fine particles so the sauce feels smooth rather than gritty. Adding liquid gradually keeps the mixture from separating into a lumpy paste.
“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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