Wilted Lettuce

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. Lettuce + cucumbertop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,409 recipes

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

2. Radish + cucumbertop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together212 recipes

   Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

3. Lettuce + radishtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together58 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

4. Lettuce + oniontop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together3,562 recipes

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

5. Onion + cucumbertop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,050 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

Lettuce

Forms the leafy base that softens and wilts when the warm dressing is poured over it.

Dilute vinegar

Adds sharpness that balances the richness of the fat and brightens the salad.

Fat left after frying bacon or ham

Carries savoury, smoky flavour through the dressing and coats the leaves.

The step that matters

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lettuce, radish, cucumber, vinegar, ham):

1. Mustardfits better
2. Beetrootfits better
3. Cauliflowerfits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lettuce, radish, cucumber, vinegar, ham. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.