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Rose Jars and Pillows

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Rose Jars and Pillows

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Gather rose leaves on dry, sunny days after the dew has dried.

  2. Strip petals from the calyx, discarding decayed ones.

  3. In a porcelain bowl, layer rose leaves and fine table salt, finishing with a layer of salt.

  4. Cover with a plate and let sit for 12 hours.

  5. Stir and mix daily for a week until the mixture is moist.

  6. Add 3 ounces of allspice and mix for three more days, adding ¼ ounce of allspice and ground cinnamon each day.

  7. Transfer the mixture to an ornamental jar and add coarsely powdered spices and essential oils.

  8. Stir and shake the jar frequently, adding perfumes and essential oils as available.

  9. Avoid freezing the mixture and moisten with scented waters if it dries out.

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. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  3. Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,874 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,536 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,331 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

Swap the mace

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rose, allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, lemon):

  1. Cardamomfits better
  2. Marjoramfits better
  3. Gingerfits better
  4. Macethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against rose, allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, lemon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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