Why it works: Walnut and vinegar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 22% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,769 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Pickles
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scald the walnuts slightly to help remove the skin.
Pickle
Place the walnuts in a jar and cover them with distilled vinegar.
Add coarse sea salt and spices to taste.
Seal the jar tightly and store it in a dry place.
Shake the jar well at least three times a day for three days.
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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Walnut + vinegartop 22% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,769 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Walnuts
- Provide the main body of the pickle, absorbing the vinegar and seasoning as they steep.
- Distilled vinegar
- Acidifies and preserves the walnuts, giving the pickle its sharp, tangy flavour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the walnuts and helps draw out moisture and flavour during pickling.
The step that matters
Shake the jar well at least three times a day for three days. Shaking redistributes the vinegar, salt and spices so every walnut is evenly coated and pickled. Without it, pieces at the bottom or top can stay unevenly seasoned or soft.
“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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