Why it works: Capers and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 379 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Capers Pickled in Vinegar
Ingredients
Directions
Select small capers of the same size.
Remove the stems from the capers.
Place the capers in jars or bottles.
Cover the capers with cold boiled vinegar.
Add a sprig of tarragon to each bottle.
Seal the bottles tightly.
Let the capers sit for three to four weeks before using.
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.
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Capers + tarragontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together379 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Vinegar + tarragontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,547 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Capers + vinegartop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,453 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the capers
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, tarragon):
- Dillfits better
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Capersthe original
- Parsleyfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, tarragon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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