Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Watee Melon Peeseeve
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the rind
Peel the watermelon rind, removing all green and pink parts, and cut into fancy shapes or squares.
Soak the rind in 1 gallon of water mixed with salt for 12 hours.
Remove the rind and soak it in 1 gallon of water mixed with alum for another 12 hours.
Drain and wipe the rind dry, then boil it in enough water to cover, adding the ginger root tied in a bag.
When the rind is tender enough to pierce with a straw, remove it and strain the liquid.
Make the syrup and cook
Make a syrup by boiling the sugar with a little water, cloves, and cinnamon.
Add the melon rind and the ginger root bag to the syrup and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove the ginger bag, place the mixture into jars, and seal.
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.
-
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Melon + gingertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together342 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
-
Cinnamon + sugartop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cinnamon and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Watermelon rind
- Forms the bulk of the preserve and becomes tender and translucent when simmered in syrup.
- Alum
- Firms the rind's texture so it holds its shape during long cooking.
- Cut loaf sugar
- Sweetens the preserve and, at high concentration, helps preserve it by drawing out moisture.
- Cinnamon bark
- Adds warm aroma and flavor to the syrup.
- Ginger root
- Adds pungent, spicy aroma that infuses the rind and syrup.
The step that matters
Soaking in alum water. Alum is a firming agent; too little or too much alters the rind's texture, and it must be well rinsed or drained first so the rind does not turn out tough or bitter. Following the soak timing matters because the rind needs to be firm enough to hold its shape through the later simmering in syrup.
Swap the melon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cinnamon, clove, sugar, ginger):
- Vanillafits better
- Orangefits better
- Quincefits better
- Melonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cinnamon, clove, sugar, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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
Ginger Cookies213 recipes
Ginger Cake93 recipes
Soft Ginger Bread85 recipes
Cinnamon Rolls71 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.