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Soup

Scotch Broth

A hearty soup of mutton, barley, and vegetables simmered for hours.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 11 ingredients
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Scotch Broth

Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Scotch Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the mutton into small pieces and place in a large stew pan with the cold water.

  2. Add the chopped vegetables, barley, and all seasonings except parsley.

  3. Tie the bones in a piece of thin cloth and add them to the stew.

Simmer and finish

  1. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, and then reduce to a simmer for three hours.

  2. Thicken the broth with flour and stir in the chopped parsley before serving.

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.

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.

  1. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Celery + carrottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Turnip + carrottop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,002 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,810 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Mutton
Provides the main meat flavor and, as it simmers, gives the broth body and richness.
Pearled barley
Releases starch during long simmering, helping to thicken the broth and add a chewy texture.
Flour
Thickens the broth when stirred in, giving it a fuller, more cohesive body.
Carrot
Adds natural sweetness and aroma to the broth as it cooks.
Onion
Builds savory depth and aroma as it softens and flavors the simmering liquid.

The step that matters

Skimming the foam after the boil. Foam rises from proteins and impurities released as the meat heats. Skimming it keeps the broth clear and clean-tasting before the long simmer.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, celery, barley, pepper, turnip, carrot, parsley):

  1. Leekfits better
  2. Parsnipfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, celery, barley, pepper, turnip, carrot, parsley. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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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