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Fig Paste for Constipation

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Why it works: Coriander and cardamom match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 872 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Fig Paste for Constipation

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, heat the molasses until it comes to a boil.

  2. Stir in the chopped figs, powdered senna leaves, coriander seed, and cardamom seed.

  3. Bring the mixture to a boil again.

  4. Store in a covered container; it will keep for 1 year.

  5. Take 1 teaspoon as needed.

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.

  1. Coriander + cardamomtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together872 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Fig + cardamomtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together36 recipes

    Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).

  3. Fig + coriandertop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together50 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  4. Fig + molassestop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together319 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  5. Molasses + cardamomtop 24% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

Swap the fig

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, coriander, cardamom):

  1. Limefits better
  2. Lemonfits better
  3. Orangefits better
  4. Figthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, coriander, cardamom. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

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