Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Lacinato Kale


Lacinato kale

Unlock the perfect flavour pairings for lacinato kale according to data science. Explore unique recipes and discover the hidden mathematics of flavour.

Lacinato kale instantly conjures the evocative embrace of chlorophyll and the kiss of cabbage. But look beneath its obvious bitterness and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of grass, a hint of mustard, and subtle accents reminiscent of sulfur, contributing remarkable depth. Understanding how these elements interplay is the secret to unlocking lacinato kale's pairing potential.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the pure, salty sodium chloride in salt can ground lacinato kale, and how anchovy's saline notes forge a beautiful synergy with its fresh leafiness.

Flavour Profile Of Lacinato Kale Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour

Flavour notes evoked by lacinato kale

Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Lacinato kale: Chlorophyll, Brassica, Grassy, Sulfurous, Mustard, Iron, Spinach, Flint, Astringent, Glutamic, Pea, Poivre, Saline


An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as vegetal, earthy, or nectarous, 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 Leafy Notes

Strength of Association Between Flavours

The flavours most associated with leafy notes are: Saline, Proteolytic, Oceanic, Fishy, Glutamic, Acetic, Olive, Fatty, Ferrous, Bean, Smoky, Capsicum, Charred, Oyster, Porcine.

Our analysis shows that the flavour of chlorophyll is strongly associated with the flavour of brine. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a briney flavour, such as anchovy, when pairing with the green notes of lacinato kale.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing lacinato kale with anchovy.

  • Harmonious Flavours Of Lacinato Kale


    Just as our analysis indicated that chlorophyll and briney notes are commonly paired, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in lacinato kale. For instance, the cabbagy notes of lacinato kale are strongly associated with rooty and piney accents.

    The accents associated with the various aroma accents of lacinato kale can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

    Flavour Profile Of Lacinato Kale And Its Complementary Flavour Notes

    Flavour notes evoked by lacinato kale

    Flavours complementary to lacinato kale

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Lacinato kale: Chlorophyll, Brassica, Grassy, Sulfurous, Mustard, Iron, Spinach, Flint, Astringent, Glutamic, Pea, Poivre, Saline


    Matching Flavour Profiles


    The flavour profile of salt offers many of the aromas complementary to lacinato kale, including saline and glutamic aromas. Because the flavour profile of salt has many of the of the features that are complementary to lacinato kale, they are likely to pair very well together.

    Prominent Flavour Notes Of Salt Are Represented By Longer Bars

    Flavour notes evoked by salt

    Flavour wheel chart showing the dominant flavour notes of Salt: Saline, Oceanic, Glutamic, Limestone


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


    Recipes That Pair Lacinato Kale With Salt


  • Linked Flavour Notes


    Looking at the aromas that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of lacinato kale, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

    Lacinato Kale's Harmonious Flavours And Complementary Ingredients

    Lacinato kale's Strongest Flavours

    Complementary Flavours

    Ingredients with Complementary Flavours





    Flavour groups:


    Acidic

    Floral

    Herbal

    Spice

    Vegetal

    Maillard

    Earthy

    Woody

    Carnal

    The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of lacinato kale, 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 lacinato kale.


    What To Drink With Lacinato Kale


    The saline notes in pecorino make it a perfect pairing with lacinato kale. Likewise, the saline flavours in cooking wine create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of lacinato kale below.




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


    Explore More


    Discover more ingredient profiles and expand your culinary knowledge. Each ingredient page offers detailed analysis of flavour profiles, pairing insights, and culinary applications.



    The content on our analysis blog is semi-automated. All of the words were manually written by a human, but the content is updated dynamically based on the data.