Why it works: Cucumber and mustard match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,281 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Gherkins, or Young Cucumbers
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the brine
Select young cucumbers the size of a finger and place them in unglazed stone jars.
Dissolve the salt in boiling water. Let the brine cool.
Cover the cucumbers with the cooled brine.
Ferment to yellow
Cover the jars and place them in a warm spot for 2-3 days until the cucumbers turn yellow.
Pour off the brine. Drain the cucumbers.
Scald and dry the jar.
Turn green in vinegar
Return the cucumbers to the jar and cover them with vinegar.
Place the jar back in a warm spot for 8-10 days until the cucumbers turn green.
Pour off the vinegar.
Spice and seal
Prepare a new pickle with fresh vinegar and spices. Add the black pepper, ginger, salt, cayenne, and mustard seeds to the vinegar.
Pour the new pickle over the cucumbers and seal the jar.
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.
-
Cucumber + mustardtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,281 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Vinegar + cucumbertop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,734 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyl acetate (fruit).
-
Pepper + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,800 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pepper + mustardtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cucumbers
- Provide the crisp body of the pickle, which takes on colour and flavour during the process.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the cucumbers and seasons them during the brining stage.
- Vinegar
- Acidity that preserves the cucumbers and gives the pickle its sharp flavour.
- Mustard seeds
- Add a pungent, slightly bitter aroma and flavour to the spiced pickle liquid.
- Black pepper
- Adds warm, sharp heat and aroma to the spiced vinegar.
- Ginger
- Adds a warm, aromatic flavour to the spiced vinegar.
The step that matters
Pour off the brine and drain the cucumbers before the vinegar stage. Brine left on the cucumbers or on the jar dilutes the vinegar and can cause spoilage. Scalding and drying the jar removes residue, so the new vinegar stays strong and the pickle keeps its texture.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, cucumber, pepper, mustard):
- Tarragonfits better
- Dillfits better
- Capersfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, cucumber, pepper, mustard. 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.
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 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.