Name: Ginger Pudding
Ingredients: 6 oz (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 3 oz (about ⅓ cup) shredded suet; 1 oz (about ¼ cup) candied peel; Pinch of salt; 2 tablespoons treacle (or molasses); Milk (as needed)

Why it works: Ginger and molasses are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,116 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Ginger Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, shredded suet, candied peel, and salt.
Add the treacle and enough milk to create a moist batter.

Steam

Transfer the mixture to a well-greased mold.
Steam for 1 hour.

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.

Ginger + molassestop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,116 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,564 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + molassestop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,429 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ginger + milktop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,519 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

All-purpose flour: Provides the structure that holds the pudding together as it steams.
Baking powder: Releases gas during steaming, helping the pudding rise and turn light.
Shredded suet: Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and tender.
Treacle: Adds sweetness, dark color and a rich molasses flavor.
Milk: Hydrates the flour so the mixture forms a moist batter.