Why it works: Fig and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,026 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
Fig Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dough
In a bowl, mix the chopped suet and flour together.
Add enough milk to form a smooth paste.
Assemble the pudding
Roll out the paste to about ½ inch thick.
Sprinkle the chopped figs over the paste.
Roll the paste up tightly and secure the ends.
Cook
Tie the pudding in a cloth and boil for 1 to 2 hours.
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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Fig + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,026 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Fig + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,192 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Figs
- Provide sweetness, soft texture and fruity flavour throughout the pudding.
- Suet
- Adds fat that keeps the pudding moist and rich as it cooks.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding together as it sets.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour so it forms a smooth, pliable paste.
The step that matters
Rolling the paste up tightly and securing the ends. A loose roll lets the figs shift and water seep into the layers during boiling, leaving the pudding soggy and unevenly textured. A tight roll keeps the layers together and the filling in place.
Swap the fig
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, milk):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figthe original
- Blueberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, milk. 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.
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