Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Ham

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers ham's optimal flavour pairings.

Ham immediately conjures the embrace of glutamate and the bracing kiss of pork. But look beneath its obvious umaminess and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of protease, a hint of smoke, and subtle accents reminiscent of brine that contribute remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for ham is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our analysis reveals, for example, how greens's leafy tones carry ham, and how bay leaf's laurelled notes create a surprising synergy with its savoury richness.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. carnal, maillard, and acidic) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

Unlocking Flavour Combinations

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Glutamic Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between glutamate and bay leaf flavours. Since ham has a distinct glutamic flavour, try pairing it with bay leaf flavours.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing ham with bay leaf.

Harmonious Flavours Of Ham

Just as our analysis highlighted that glutamate and bay leaf flavours are often associated, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the notes present in ham. For instance, the fermented proteins flavours of ham are strongly associated with pea-ish and wheaty flavours.

The aromas associated with the various accents of ham can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of greens offers many of the aroma accents complementary to ham, including leafy and grassy aromas. Because the flavour profile of greens has many of the of the features that are complementary to ham, they are likely to pair very well together.

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

Recipes That Pair Ham With Greens

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

What To Drink With Ham

The leafy notes in carrot juice make it a perfect pairing with ham. Likewise, the bay leaf flavours in perricone create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of ham below.

Which Fruit Go With Ham?

Choose fruit that lift its salinity or anchor its fermented aroma. Green tomato offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Grape tomato add a gentle, oniony brightness, while fig leaf introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with ham's nuttiness. The addition of red bell pepper, with its subtle saccharine notes, can complement the hazelnut beautifully. Lemon bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while avocado lends a clean sweetness.

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., Ham), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.