Why it works: Allspice and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
To Pickle Red Cabbage
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cabbage
Remove outer leaves from cabbage, quarter it, and cut out thick stalk. Slice cabbage thinly into long strips.
In a large basin, place a plate and layer shredded cabbage with a light sprinkling of salt between each layer.
Cover with another plate and place a weight on top to press out moisture. Let it sit for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, squeeze cabbage in a thick cloth without crushing it and transfer to jars or bottles.
Make the pickling liquor
Boil spices in 1 pint of vinegar for 15 minutes in an enamelled or preserving pan.
Add remaining vinegar and let it cool before pouring it over cabbage, enclosing spices in a piece of muslin.
Rest and mature
Tie jars firmly with thick paper and let them sit for about 10 days to 2 weeks before using.
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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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,620 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Allspice + peppertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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 pickle, and its texture softens as it cures in the salt and vinegar.
- Vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves the cabbage and gives the pickle its sharp flavour.
- Salt
- Draws moisture out of the cabbage, firming its texture before it is pressed.
- Whole allspice
- Adds warm, aromatic flavour that infuses into the vinegar.
- Whole pepper
- Adds gentle heat and spice that infuses into the vinegar.
- Ginger
- Adds warm, aromatic pungency to the pickling liquor.
The step that matters
Pressing the salted cabbage. Pressing must remove moisture without crushing the shreds. Salt draws water out of cabbage through osmosis, and firm, intact pieces keep their crunch in the finished pickle, while crushed cabbage turns soft and mushy.
Swap the cabbage
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, ginger, allspice, pepper, clove):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardfits better
- Carrotfits better
- Cabbagethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, ginger, allspice, pepper, 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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