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Mutton Broth

A clear broth made from mutton, vegetables, and barley, simmered slowly for several hours.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Mutton Broth

Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Mutton Broth

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Remove all the fat from the mutton.

  2. Cut the mutton into small pieces.

  3. Add the water, mutton, and a little salt to the stewpan.

  4. Bring the mixture slowly to a boil.

  5. Skim off any foam.

  6. Blanch the pearl barley by placing it in cold water and bringing it to a boil.

Simmer the broth

  1. After the broth has cooked for about 1 hour, add the diced vegetables and pearl barley.

  2. Simmer the broth gently for about 3 hours.

  3. Strain the broth and return it to the saucepan.

  4. Carefully remove any fragments of bone from the vegetables and pearl barley.

  5. Return the vegetables and pearl barley to the broth.

  6. Bring the broth back to a boil.

Finish and serve

  1. Sprinkle in the parsley.

  2. Season to taste.

  3. Serve hot.

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. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,002 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,810 recipes

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

  5. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 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

Mutton neck
Collagen from the bones and connective tissue turns to gelatin, giving the broth body and a silky mouthfeel.
Pearl barley
Its starch thickens the broth slightly and adds a soft, chewy texture.
Carrot
Adds natural sweetness and body as it softens during the long simmer.
Onion
Releases sugars and aromatic compounds that deepen the savoury flavour of the broth.
Turnip
Contributes a mild sweetness and soft texture to the finished broth.

The step that matters

Skimming the foam as the broth comes to a boil. Foam carries coagulated proteins and impurities that would cloud the broth and taste bitter. Removing it early keeps the broth clear and clean-flavoured.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mutton, carrot, turnip, celery, parsley, rice, pepper):

  1. Parsnipfits better
  2. Leekfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mutton, carrot, turnip, celery, parsley, rice, 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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