Why it works: Rabbit and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,334 recipes. Both carry 2-pentylpyridine, which smells fat. The science ↓
Baked Babbit
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Skin and empty the rabbits, then cut them into neat serving joints.
Lightly pepper the rabbit pieces and place them side by side in a baking tin.
Lay a rasher of bacon on each piece of rabbit.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 1.5 hours until cooked.
Transfer the rabbit to a dish, garnish with bacon, pour gravy over, and serve.
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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Rabbit + peppertop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,334 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-pentylpyridine (fat).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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