Why it works: Lemon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,318 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Bread Panada
Ingredients
Directions
Simmer
In a saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white sugar over medium heat.
Just before it boils, add 2 tablespoons of stale white bread crumbs and stir well.
Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes.
Flavour and rest
Add ⅓ cup of white wine, the grated lemon, and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg.
Allow it to boil once, then remove from heat and cover until ready to use.
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.
-
Lemon + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,318 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
White wine + lemontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,832 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
-
Bread + nutmegtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,997 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Bread + white winetop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together827 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
White wine + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,659 recipes
Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White sugar
- Adds sweetness that balances the wine and lemon.
- Stale white bread crumbs
- Absorb liquid and give the drink body and a thicker texture.
- White wine
- Adds acidity and fruity aroma to the liquid.
- Grated lemon
- Adds bright citrus aroma and sharpness.
- Nutmeg
- Adds warm, aromatic spice flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the bread crumbs just before it boils. Stale bread crumbs absorb liquid quickly, so stirring them in well as the liquid heats keeps them evenly dispersed instead of clumping at the bottom of the pan.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, bread, white wine, lemon):
- Marjoramfits better
- Thymefits about as well
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, bread, white wine, lemon. 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
The 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.
Lemon Wine31 recipes
Wine Whey111 recipes
Raisin Wine64 recipes
Egg Wine58 recipes