Why it works: Eggplant and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,123 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Eggplant
Ingredients
Directions
Choose firm, glossy, medium-sized eggplants. Avoid very large or old ones.
Salt and drain the eggplants to remove bitterness.
Peel and slice the eggplants into ½-inch thick slices.
Dip the slices in beaten egg, then coat with flour.
Heat lard in a pan and fry the slices until brown, turning carefully to prevent scorching.
Once tender, place the fried slices on paper in the oven.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve when dry. Do not cover to maintain crispness.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Eggplant + peppertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,123 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Eggplant + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together371 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the eggplant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, flour, pepper, butter):
- Chivefits better
- Shallotfits better
- Asparagusfits better
- Eggplantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, flour, pepper, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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