Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Cherry Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the ketchup
Combine cherries, sugar, and vinegar in a large pot.
Simmer the mixture for 2 hours.
Just before removing from heat, add nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice to taste.
Cool and serve
Stir well and let cool before storing.
Serve with cold meats.
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.
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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Nutmeg + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cherries
- Provide the fruit base, flavor, and body of the ketchup as they cook down.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the vinegar's sharpness while helping preserve the ketchup.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that sharpens the flavor and helps preserve the cooked fruit.
The step that matters
Adding the spices just before removing from heat. Warm spices release volatile aromatic compounds quickly, and long simmering drives many of them off, so adding them late keeps the aroma noticeable.
“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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