Why it works: Garlic and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,208 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
A Syrup of Garlick
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the garlic
Peel the garlic clean.
Boil the garlic in 2 cups of water until tender.
Discard the water and add 2 cups more to the garlic.
Boil again until the garlic is tender.
Make the syrup
Strain the mixture and add 1 pound of sugar.
Boil until it becomes a thick syrup, skimming off any foam.
Store the syrup for use.
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.
-
Garlic + sugartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,208 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Garlic
- Provides the main flavor and aroma, and softens as it simmers in water.
- Double refined sugar
- Adds sweetness and body, and thickens into syrup as the liquid evaporates.
The step that matters
Boil until thick syrup, skimming foam. As the liquid evaporates, the sugar concentrates and thickens. Stop too early and the syrup stays thin; boil too long and it can darken or crystallize. Skimming removes foam so the syrup stays clear.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.