Why it works: Parsley and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,037 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Pork Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Cut the pork into small dice, adjusting the amount of fat to your taste.
In a bowl, combine the pork with parsley, sage, mixed herbs, lemon rind, nutmeg, and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Bake and serve
Press the mixture tightly into a mold and fill it with gravy.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 1½ hours.
Once cooled, turn out of the mold and garnish with parsley.
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.
-
Parsley + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,037 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Parsley + sagetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,445 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Sage + lemontop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together887 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Sage + nutmegtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together642 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cold roast pork
- Provides the meat that forms the body of the cheese.
- Gravy or stock
- Adds moisture so the pork stays juicy as it bakes.
- Powdered sage
- Contributes a savory, earthy aroma that defines the flavor.
The step that matters
Press the mixture tightly into the mold. Packing the diced meat firmly removes air pockets so the set loaf holds together when cooled and turned out. Loose packing can cause it to crumble.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pork, parsley, sage, lemon, pepper):
- Marjoramfits better
- Thymefits better
- Rosemaryfits better
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against pork, parsley, sage, lemon, pepper. 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 pork cheese recipes
You might also like
Lemon Sauce236 recipes
Pork Cake107 recipes
Roast Pork82 recipes
Tomato Soup526 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.