Virginia Corn Bread

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. Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,418 recipes

   Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).

2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

3. Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together4,373 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Butter + wheattop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,002 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

Butter and flour 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

What each ingredient does

Indian meal

Forms the main body of the bread and gives it its cornmeal texture.

Wheat flour

Adds structure so the batter holds together as it bakes.

Eggs

Bind the batter and help set the crumb as it bakes.

Milk

Provides moisture and hydrates the cornmeal and flour.

Butter

Adds fat, which softens the crumb and adds richness.

Sugar

Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown.

The step that matters