Why it works: Mustard and horseradish match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,832 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Tartar Mustard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mustard
Rub the mustard very smooth with the salt.
Gradually wet the mixture with the horseradish vinegar.
Add the cayenne or chili vinegar to taste.
Steep the horseradish and serve
Pour boiling water over the scraped horseradish and let it steep overnight, covered.
Use the horseradish mixture after it has steeped for 2-3 days for best flavor.
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.
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Mustard + horseradishtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,832 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + horseradishtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mustard
- Provides the main pungent flavor and the body of the sauce.
- Horseradish vinegar
- Thins the mustard into a spreadable sauce and adds sharp acidity.
- Scraped horseradish
- Supplies the hot, pungent bite that builds as it steeps.
- Cayenne or chili vinegar
- Adds heat and a sharper spiciness, adjusted to taste.
The step that matters
Pour boiling water over the scraped horseradish and let it steep overnight, covered.. Horseradish's pungency comes from compounds released when its cut cells are disturbed and then develop in liquid over time. Covering keeps volatile aromas from escaping, so the heat stays in the mixture rather than dissipating.
“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.
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