Another Way to Make Plum Pudding

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. Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,380 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

2. Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,075 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,390 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

4. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together17,341 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together30,779 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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

Raisins

Provide sweetness, moisture and chewy body throughout the pudding.

Beef suet

Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and gives a rich, tender texture.

Eggs

Bind the ingredients together and help the pudding set as it cooks.

Grated bread

Absorbs liquid and adds light body so the mixture holds together.

Brown sugar

Adds sweetness and a molasses-like depth of flavour.

Rum

Adds aroma and a warm, boozy flavour to the pudding.

The step that matters

Swap the currant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (raisin, beef, bread, flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon):

1. Figfits better
2. Vanillafits better
3. Orangefits better
4. Currantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against raisin, beef, bread, flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.