Name: Stuffed Rolls
Ingredients: small fresh rolls; 1 teaspoon butter; 2 teaspoons potted ham; ½ hard-boiled egg, chopped fine; 1 radish, sliced thin; 2 leaves lettuce, cut up small

Why it works: Radish and lettuce share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 58 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Stuffed Rolls

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Cut the rolls in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the soft part.

Make the filling

In a bowl, mix the butter, potted ham, chopped egg, sliced radish, and cut-up lettuce.

Assemble and serve

Spread the mixture on both sides of the rolls and close them.
Serve on a napkin.

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.

Radish + lettucetop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together58 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Butter + hamtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,526 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + radishtop 20% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together180 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

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

What each ingredient does

Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the filling, helping it spread smoothly.
Potted ham: Provides the savory, meaty flavor that anchors the filling.
Hard-boiled egg: Adds soft, creamy body and mild richness to the filling.
Radish: Contributes crisp texture and a sharp, peppery bite.
Lettuce: Adds fresh crunch and moisture to the filling.