Why it works: Pepper and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,395 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Mushroom Catsup
Ingredients
Directions
Salt the mushrooms
Layer the mushrooms and salt in a deep stone or earthen pan. After 2-3 hours, mash the mushrooms and stir the mixture well. Repeat this process for two days.
Cook the mixture
Add black pepper and allspice to the mixture. Transfer everything to a stone jar and seal it tightly. Place the jar in a pot of boiling water for at least 2 hours. Remove the jar.
Strain and reduce
Pour the juice through a fine sieve, avoiding pressing the mushrooms. Boil the strained juice gently until it is reduced by half. Skim off any foam. Pour the catsup into a clean jar or jug and cover it. Let it sit in a cool place overnight. Gently pour off the liquid the next day. Strain the liquid through a jelly bag until clear.
Bottle and store
Add brandy to each pint of catsup and let it settle. Pour the mixture into rinsed bottles. Cork the bottles tightly and seal them with bottle cement. Store in a cool, dry place.
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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Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Mushroom + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together206 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Mushroom + allspicetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together717 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Allspice + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together931 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Mushrooms
- Provide the bulk and the juice that becomes the ketchup.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the mushrooms and helps preserve the mixture.
- Black pepper
- Adds sharp, aromatic heat to the finished ketchup.
- Allspice
- Adds a warm, aromatic flavour to the finished ketchup.
- Brandy
- Adds a spirited aroma and depth to the finished ketchup.
The step that matters
Pour the juice through a fine sieve without pressing the mushrooms. Pressing forces fine solids through the sieve, which makes the juice cloudy and gritty. Letting it drain naturally keeps the final ketchup clear and smooth.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mushroom, pepper, brandy):
- Thymefits better
- Clovefits better
- Marjoramfits better
- Allspicethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against mushroom, pepper, brandy. 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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