Name: Superlative Mincemeat
Ingredients: 4 large lemons; 4 cups old-fashioned raisins; 4 cups currants; 2 cups finely chopped suet; 2 cups powdered sugar; 4 glasses good brandy

Why it works: Currant and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,057 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Superlative Mincemeat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Core the lemons and weigh them.
Chop the lemons small, removing all the seeds.

Combine

Combine the chopped lemons with the raisins, currants, suet, and powdered sugar, then mix thoroughly and add the brandy.
Ensure all ingredients are well combined.

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.

Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,057 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Raisin + curranttop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together6,180 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, creamy).
Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,768 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Raisin + sugartop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,481 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Lemon + raisintop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,742 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Raisins: Add sweetness and chewy body, plumping as they absorb the brandy and moisture.
Currants: Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture throughout the filling.
Suet: Adds fat that keeps the mixture moist and rich as it firms and melts.
Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness and dissolves easily into the moist fruit mixture.
Lemons: Add acidity and bright aroma that balance the sweetness of the fruit and sugar.