Why it works: Walnut and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,769 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Pickled Walnuts
Ingredients
Directions
Gather young green walnuts and place them in strong brine for one week, changing the brine every other day.
Remove the walnuts, dry them between two cloths, and pierce each with a large needle.
Soak the pierced walnuts in cold water for several hours.
Pack the walnuts in small jars and pour scalding-hot seasoned vinegar over them.
Let the pickled walnuts sit for at least two months before consuming.
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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Walnut + vinegartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,769 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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