Name: Avocado, “aguacate,” or Alligator Pear
Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados; salt; red pepper; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons prepared mustard; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 2 tablespoons oil; ice

Why it works: Avocado and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 234 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓

Avocado, “aguacate,” or Alligator Pear

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Halve the avocados and cut shallow grooves in the flesh.
Sprinkle salt, red pepper, and cinnamon over the avocados.

Dress and chill

Pour mustard, vinegar, and oil into the avocado halves.
Place a piece of ice on top and chill on ice before serving.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Avocado + mustardtop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together234 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cinnamon + mustardtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,581 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together14,067 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,430 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Avocado + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together41 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

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

What each ingredient does

Avocados: Provide the creamy flesh and rich fat that form the base of the dish.
Oil: Adds fat and smooth mouthfeel and carries the flavours of the seasonings.
Vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the flavour and balances the richness of the avocado.
Prepared mustard: Adds sharp flavour and helps oil and vinegar blend together.
Ground cinnamon: Adds warm aroma to the seasoning.