Why it works: Mutton and barley work together. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 510 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity. The science ↓
Mutton Broth
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the meat
Cut the mutton into small pieces, removing all fat.
Make the broth
Place the meat in a saucepan with cold water and heat on the stove.
Skim off any scum that forms.
Boil for two hours, then strain the broth.
When the broth begins to boil, add the pearl barley.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Mutton + barleytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together510 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mutton
- Provides the meaty flavor, and collagen from the neck turns to body as it simmers.
- Pearl barley
- Its starch thickens the broth and adds chewy texture as it cooks.
The step that matters
Skim off any scum that forms.. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise as the liquid heats. Removing it keeps the broth clear and gives it a cleaner, less greasy taste.
“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.
More mutton broth recipes
You might also like
Haricot Mutton59 recipes
Mutton Soup56 recipes
Cream of Barley Soup10 recipes
Curried Mutton9 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.