Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Hyden Salad
Ingredients
Directions
In a large pot, combine the cabbage, green tomatoes, onions, green peppers, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, celery seed, coarse sea salt, sugar, and strong vinegar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
Boil for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Cabbage + mustardtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cabbage
- Forms the bulk of the salad and holds its crisp texture during cooking.
- Green tomatoes
- Add tartness and body, and release moisture that helps form the sauce.
- Sugar
- Balances the sharp vinegar and adds sweetness.
- Strong vinegar
- Provides acidity that sharpens the flavour and preserves the vegetables.
- Onions
- Add savoury depth and aroma as they soften in the liquid.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (cabbage, onion, pepper, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, clove):
- Horseradishfits better
- Broccolifits better
- Lettucefits better
- Tomatothe original
Fit is the average pairing score against cabbage, onion, pepper, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, clove. 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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