Name: Roast Loin of Pork
Ingredients: 1 loin of pork, skinned or with skin on; butter for covering; powdered sage; boiling water

Why it works: Pork and sage are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,527 recipes. Both carry 2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Roast Loin of Pork

Oven, in the book's wordsA very moderate oven

Ingredients

1 loin of pork, skinned or with skin on
butter for covering
powdered sage
boiling water

Directions

The book says “a very moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

If the loin is skinned, cover the top with buttered paper. If the skin is on, score it with a sharp knife in close lines.
Rub the loin all over with powdered sage.
Place the loin in a 350°F (175°C) oven with a little boiling water in the pan.
Cook slowly for 20 minutes per pound, basting frequently.
When done, serve with apple 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.

Pork + sagetop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,527 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Pork + buttertop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together13,933 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
Butter + sagetop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,312 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).