Pea Soup

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. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

2. Peas + parsleytop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,885 recipes

   Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

3. Peas + milktop 16% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,309 recipes

   Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).

4. Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together29,399 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

5. Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together77,875 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

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

What each ingredient does

Peas

Form the main body and flavour of the soup once mashed and strained.

Milk

Thins the pea mixture and adds a mild, creamy moisture.

Cream

Adds richness and fat, giving the soup a smoother, silkier mouthfeel.

Sugar

Adds sweetness that balances the earthy flavour of the peas.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peas, milk, cream, sugar):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Nutmegfits better
3. Gingerfits better
4. Parsleythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against peas, milk, cream, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.