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Chow-chow

A pickled relish of green tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, and spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
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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 ↓

Chow-chow

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the vegetables

  1. Chop equal quantities of green tomatoes and cabbage finely.

  2. Sprinkle a little coarse sea salt between the layers.

  3. Add a layer of green peppers with the tomatoes and cabbage.

  4. Let it stand in the salt overnight.

  5. If too salty, squeeze out a little salt.

Spice and simmer

  1. Add a handful of mustard seed, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of ground cloves.

  2. Scald in vinegar for about 2 hours.

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.

  1. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,645 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together17,451 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).

  4. Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,081 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Mustard + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,581 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Green tomatoes
Provide the bulk and tart flavour that forms the relish base.
Cabbage
Adds crunch and body that holds its texture through pickling.
Vinegar
Acidity that preserves the vegetables and gives the relish its sharp tang.
Coarse sea salt
Draws water out of the vegetables, softening them and concentrating flavour.
Mustard seed
Adds pungent, sharp aroma and a mild bite to the relish.

The step that matters

Salting overnight and checking the salt. Salt draws moisture out of the chopped vegetables, so they soften and stay crisp rather than watery. Too much salt leaves the relish harsh, which is why the record says to squeeze out excess when it tastes too salty.

Swap the tomato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cabbage, pepper, mustard, cinnamon, clove, vinegar):

  1. Horseradishfits better
  2. Radishfits better
  3. Lettucefits better
  4. Tomatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against cabbage, pepper, mustard, cinnamon, clove, vinegar. 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.

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