Name: Tinned Ham, Minced
Ingredients: 2 pounds salt pork, cut into small pieces; 6 pounds onions, finely chopped; 60 pounds ham, finely chopped; 10 pounds stale bread, soaked in cold water and drained; pepper, to taste

Why it works: Ham and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓

Tinned Ham, Minced

Ingredients

2 pounds salt pork, cut into small pieces
6 pounds onions, finely chopped
60 pounds ham, finely chopped
10 pounds stale bread, soaked in cold water and drained
pepper, to taste

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare

In a frying pan, brown the salt pork pieces.
Add the finely chopped onions and lightly brown them.

Mix and bake

In a large bowl, combine the chopped ham and soaked bread. Mix all ingredients together and season with pepper.
Transfer the mixture to greased pans and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.

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.

Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,536 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Pork + oniontop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,214 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pork + hamtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,638 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Pork + breadtop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,371 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

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

What each ingredient does

Ham: Provides the main meaty body and savory flavor of the dish.
Stale bread: Soaked and drained, it adds moisture and a soft, binding texture to the mixture.
Onions: Browning them adds sweetness and savory depth to the mixture.
Salt pork: Browning it renders fat and adds rich, savory flavor.