Name: Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients: 1 eggplant; 2 tablespoons minced ham; ½ cup water; 2 tablespoons grated breadcrumbs; 1 tablespoon butter; ½ onion, minced; Salt, to taste; Pepper, to taste; Small lumps of butter for topping

Why it works: Eggplant and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,123 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓

Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Prepare the filling

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the insides.
In a saucepan, combine the insides with minced ham and water; boil with salt.
Drain the water and add breadcrumbs, butter, minced onion, salt, and pepper.

Stuff and bake

Stuff each half of the eggplant with the mixture.
Top each half with a small lump of butter and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes.

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.

Eggplant + peppertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,123 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Eggplant + oniontop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together870 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Butter + oniontop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together42,912 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggplant: Forms the shell that holds the filling and softens into a tender base when baked.
Ham: Adds savory, salty flavor to the filling.
Breadcrumbs: Absorb liquid and bind the filling so it holds its shape when stuffed.
Butter: Adds richness and moisture, and helps the top brown lightly in the oven.
Onion: Adds aromatic sweetness and depth to the filling as it cooks.