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
Prepare the mushrooms
Select fresh, large mushrooms with a delicate pink fringe; discard any that are black.
Pick off any dirty bits without washing the mushrooms.
Layer mushrooms and salt in a deep stone or earthen pan.
After 2-3 hours, mash the mushrooms and stir the mixture well; repeat for two days.
Make the ketchup
Add black pepper and allspice to the mixture, then transfer to a stone jar.
Seal the jar tightly and place it in a pot of boiling water for at least two hours.
Remove the jar and pour the juice through a fine sieve, avoiding the mushroom solids.
Boil the strained juice gently until reduced by half, then skim off any foam.
Transfer the reduced catsup to a clean jar, cover, and let it sit in a cool place overnight.
Bottle and store
Carefully pour off the liquid, leaving the sediment behind, and strain through a jelly bag until clear.
Add brandy to each pint of catsup, let it settle, then pour into rinsed bottles.
Cork the bottles tightly and seal with bottle cement, storing them 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.
-
Pepper + allspicetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,395 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Mushroom + peppertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together13,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Mushroom + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together206 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Mushroom + allspicetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together717 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
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
- Large fresh mushrooms
- Provide the main body and savory flavor of the ketchup as they break down into juice.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture out of the mushrooms and helps preserve the mixture during long standing.
- Whole black pepper
- Adds sharp, pungent aroma and warm heat to the finished ketchup.
- Whole allspice
- Contributes warm, aromatic spice notes that round out the flavor.
- Best brandy
- Adds alcohol that helps preserve the ketchup and contributes aroma.
The step that matters
Boiling the strained juice gently until reduced by half. Boiling concentrates the flavor and thickens the liquid, but a hard boil can scorch the juice or cloud it, and skimming foam keeps the final ketchup clear.
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.
More mushroom ketchup recipes
You might also like
Wine Sauce (for stewed fruit)186 recipes
Caper Sauce180 recipes
Brown Sauce141 recipes
Dutch Sauce74 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.