Curious Ginger Drops or Candy

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. Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together14,189 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

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

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

3. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together6,038 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

5. Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together14,054 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

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

Loaf sugar

Provides the sweetness and the solid body that hardens into the candy as it cools.

Ginger

Adds its sharp, warm aroma and flavor to the sugar.

Cloves

Contribute a strong, warm aroma and spice flavor.

Cinnamon

Adds a sweet, warm aroma and spice flavor.

The step that matters

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, clove, cinnamon):

1. Nutmegfits better
2. Allspicefits better
3. Cardamomfits better
4. Gingerthe original

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