Name: Sheep’s Head Broth
Ingredients: 1 fat young sheep's head; 1 gang of trotters (sheep's feet); 1 pound scrag-end of neck of mutton; 1 large cup barley; ½ pint dried peas, soaked for 24 hours; 1 gallon water; salt to taste; 2 carrots, sliced; 2 turnips, sliced; 2 onions, sliced; a few sticks of celery (optional)

Why it works: Carrot and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓

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.

Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together10,173 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together8,002 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Barley + turniptop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together629 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Turnip + celerytop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,418 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Turnip + oniontop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,585 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Sheep's head: Gives the broth its rich, gelatinous body and deep meaty flavour as it simmers.
Trotters: Release collagen as they simmer, adding gelatin that gives the broth body and a silky mouthfeel.
Mutton scrag-end: Adds meat flavour and richness to the broth during the long gentle simmer.
Barley: Swells as it cooks, thickening the broth and adding body and a soft, starchy texture.
Dried peas: Break down during simmering, thickening the broth and adding earthy flavour and body.
Onions: Add sweetness and aromatic depth as they soften in the broth.

The step that matters

Skimming the scum as it rises. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that can cloud the broth and taint its flavour. Removing it early, while the broth is gently simmering, keeps the liquid clear and clean-tasting.

Swap the celery

The recipe marks celery as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, barley, peas, carrot, turnip, onion):

Celerythe original
Parsleyfits about as well
Thymefits less well
Cuminfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, barley, peas, carrot, turnip, onion. 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.

Sheep’s Head Broth