Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Dried Fruit

Top flavour pairings and dried fruit recipes, revealed through the hidden methmatics of flavour.

Dried fruit instantly conjures the evocative embrace of raisin and the kiss of sugar, woven with delicate hints of caramel, fig, and honey, contributing remarkable depth. The key to a remarkable harmony lies in appreciating how these elements work together.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the fresh, cooling eucalyptol in cardamom can awaken dried fruit, and how allspice's pimenta notes forge a beautiful synergy with its dried-fruit sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, nectarous, or acidic, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Raisin Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of raisin is strongly associated with the flavour of allspice. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a allspice-like flavour, such as allspice, when pairing with the raisin aromas of dried fruit.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing dried fruit with allspice.

Harmonious Flavours Of Dried Fruit

Just as our analysis indicated that raisin and allspice-like flavour notes are harmonious, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in dried fruit. E.g. the sugary flavours of dried fruit are often used with tea-like and grapefruity accents.

The accents complementary to the various aroma accents of dried fruit can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of cardamom offers many of the notes complementary to dried fruit, including eucalyptus and camphor accents. Because the flavour profile of cardamom has many of the of the features that are complementary to dried fruit, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of cardamom across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with dried fruit.

Recipes That Pair Dried Fruit With Cardamom

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of dried fruit, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of dried fruit, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to dried fruit.

What To Drink With Dried Fruit

The cedar notes in lemonade make it a perfect pairing with dried fruit. Likewise, the clove flavours in falernum create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of dried fruit below.

Which Vegetables Go With Dried Fruit?

Choose vegetables that ground its turpentiness or anchor its nutty aroma. Enoki mushroom and pea offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Carrot add a gentle, oniony brightness, while tomato introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with dried fruit's tartness. The addition of piquillo pepper, with its subtle capsicum notes, can complement the sour apple beautifully, while broccoli lends a mild pepper aroma.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Dried fruit), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.