Combination Pickle

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. Horseradish + mustardtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,832 recipes

   Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

2. Celery + mustardtop 2% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,169 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

3. Tomato + celerytop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,377 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

4. Celery + peppertop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together16,012 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

5. Onion + mustardtop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,259 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

Ripe tomatoes

Provides the main body and bulk of the pickle.

Vinegar

Adds acidity that gives the pickle its tangy flavour and helps it keep.

Sugar

Balances the sharpness of the vinegar with sweetness.

Horseradish

Adds a sharp, pungent heat that stands out against the sweetness.

Mustard seed

Contributes a sharp, pungent flavour and a bit of texture.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, horseradish, celery, mustard, sugar, pepper, cinnamon):

1. Lettucefits better
2. Capsicumfits better
3. Broccolifits better
4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, horseradish, celery, mustard, sugar, pepper, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.