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Green Tomato Soy

Pickled green tomatoes stewed with vinegar, sugar, spices, and onions.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Mustard and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,928 recipes. Both carry methyleugenol, which smells clove, spice. The science ↓

Green Tomato Soy

Ingredients

Directions

Stew

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.

  2. Stew over low heat for about 5 hours, stirring often to prevent burning.

Jar and rest

  1. Once tender, transfer to small glass jars.

  2. Ensure the vinegar covers the pickles well.

  3. Allow to stand for some time before using.

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.

  1. Mustard + allspicetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,928 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).

  2. Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,395 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together9,259 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,431 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  5. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Green tomatoes
Forms the bulk of the pickle and softens as it stews in the vinegar.
Onions
Adds savory body and sweetness as they soften during the long cooking.
Green peppers
Adds bulk and a mild, slightly bitter flavor that mellows with cooking.
Cider vinegar
Provides acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps preserve the pickles.
Brown sugar
Balances the acidity with sweetness and deepens the flavor through slow cooking.

The step that matters

Stew over low heat, stirring often. Brown sugar and the sliced vegetables can scorch on the bottom of the pot during a long simmer. Low heat and frequent stirring spread the heat evenly and prevent burning, which would give a bitter, burnt taste.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, mustard, pepper, cider, vinegar, allspice, sugar):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Horseradishfits better
  3. Cucumberfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, mustard, pepper, cider, vinegar, allspice, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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