Name: Boiled Veal
Ingredients: 1 knuckle of veal (leg or shoulder); 1 scrag of neck or breast (optional); parsley; butter

Why it works: Parsley and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 28,563 recipes. Both carry trans-2-hexenal, which smells green, leafy. The science ↓

Boiled Veal

Ingredients

1 knuckle of veal (leg or shoulder)
1 scrag of neck or breast (optional)
parsley
butter

Directions

Place the knuckle of veal in a pot of water and bring to a boil.
Boil for 2 hours until tender.
If using, add the scrag of neck or breast and boil for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.
Serve with a sauce made of melted butter and chopped parsley.

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.

Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together28,563 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
Veal + parsleytop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,766 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Veal + buttertop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,381 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

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

What each ingredient does

Veal knuckle: Provides the main meat, which becomes tender as it simmers slowly in water.
Butter: Melted into the serving sauce, adding richness and a smooth, silky texture.