Name: Alligator Pear Sandwich
Ingredients: 1 alligator pear (avocado); 1-2 chopped chili peppers; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 4 slices of buttered bread

Why it works: Avocado and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,455 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓

Alligator Pear Sandwich

Ingredients

1 alligator pear (avocado)
1-2 chopped chili peppers
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 slices of buttered bread

Directions

Slice the alligator pear.
Mix the pear with chopped chili peppers and mayonnaise.
Place the mixture between two slices of buttered bread.
Serve immediately.

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 + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,455 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Pear + avocadotop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together24 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Pear + breadtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together64 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Pepper + breadtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,964 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Avocado + breadtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12 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

Avocado: Provides creamy texture and rich, fatty body to the filling.
Mayonnaise: Adds fat and moisture, binding the filling and softening its texture.
Chili peppers: Adds heat and a sharp, fresh flavour that contrasts with the rich avocado.