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Red Cabbage

A pickled red cabbage preserved in vinegar with spices.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Red Cabbage

Why it works: Cabbage and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,081 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Red Cabbage

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pickle

  1. Place the cochineal in a small bag and boil it with enough vinegar to cover the cabbage.

  2. Add a little salt and coarse sea salt.

  3. Once boiling, scald the sliced cabbage with the vinegar mixture.

  4. Boil the vinegar again, adding ginger and pepper.

  5. Let the mixture cool completely.

Jar and seal

  1. Place the cabbage in jars and pour the cooled pickle over it.

  2. Seal the jars tightly.

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

  1. Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,081 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Cabbage + gingertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together545 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Ginger + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,800 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Vinegar + cabbagetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,924 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Vinegar + peppertop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together27,814 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Cochineal or beet root
Provides the red colour that gives the pickled cabbage its characteristic hue.
Vinegar
Acidifies the liquid, preserving the cabbage and giving it its sharp, tangy flavour.
Coarse sea salt
Seasons the pickle and helps draw flavour into the cabbage.

The step that matters

Let the mixture cool completely before pouring it over the cabbage. Pouring hot pickle over the cabbage can soften it and cook it, leaving a limp texture. Cooling the liquid first keeps the cabbage crisp and helps the jars seal properly.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, cabbage, pepper):

  1. Dillfits better
  2. Tarragonfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, cabbage, pepper. 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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