Why it works: Lemon and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and 53,530 recipes mention both. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Squeeze the lemon and cut it into slices.
Combine the lemon slices and sugar in a bowl.
Pour the boiling water over the mixture.
Stir well and drink just before going to bed.
Avoid exposure to cold the next day.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Lemon + sugartop 10% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together53,530 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Lemon and sugar share little aroma chemistry, yet 53,530 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
More lemon water recipes
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IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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