Name: A Change on Sandwiches
Ingredients: chopped sardines; mayonnaise; cucumbers; caviar; green pepper

Why it works: Cucumber and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,991 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

A Change on Sandwiches

Ingredients

Directions

Mix chopped sardines with a little mayonnaise.
Mix cucumbers with a little mayonnaise.
Use caviar or diced green pepper as fillings.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Cucumber + peppertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,991 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cucumber + caviartop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together31 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Caviar + peppertop 30% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together104 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chopped sardines: Forms the main savory filling and provides the rich, oily flavor.
Mayonnaise: Adds fat and moisture, binding the filling into a creamy, spreadable texture.
Cucumbers: Adds moisture and a cool, crisp texture that balances the rich sardines.
Caviar: Adds a salty, briny accent as a rich, concentrated filling.
Green pepper: Adds crunch and a fresh, slightly bitter flavor as an alternative filling.