Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Piccalilli

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

Piccalilli conjures the embrace of mustard and the bracing kiss of vinegar, but beneath its sourness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as onion, cabbage, and hints of sulfur that contribute remarkable depth. And the epicurean alchemy begins when we seek out partners that allow these notes to truly sing, to harmonise in unexpected and delightful ways.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how pea shoots's pisum tones carry piccalilli, and how sage's rosmarinic notes create a surprising synergy with its pungent aroma.

An ingredient's flavour comes from its core characteristics, like spice, vegetal, and acidic, combined with its unique aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim to include a broad variety of core characteristics for a balanced dish. And choose aroma notes that complement each other for a harmonious combination.

The Art of Flavour Pairing

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 Mustard Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between mustard and rosemary flavours. Since piccalilli has a distinct mustardy flavour, try pairing it with the rosemary flavours of sage.

The recipe below provides inspiration for pairing piccalilli with sage.

Harmonious Flavours Of Piccalilli

Just as our statistical analysis showed that mustard and rooty flavours harmonise, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in piccalilli. For instance, the vinegary notes of piccalilli are strongly associated with grassy and green flavours.

The accents complementary to the various notes of piccalilli can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of pea shoots offers many of the accents complementary to piccalilli, including pea and grassy accents. Because the flavour profile of pea shoots has many of the of the features that are complementary to piccalilli, they are likely to pair very well together.

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

Recipes That Pair Piccalilli With Pea Shoots

Linked Flavour Notes

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

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

What To Drink With Piccalilli

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

Which Meat Go With Piccalilli?

Choose meat that ground its turpentiness or anchor its sharp acidity. Rabbit and pheasant offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Partridge add a gentle, oniony brightness, while pig's trotter introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace meat that harmonise with piccalilli's pungency. The addition of pork sausage, with its subtle adipose notes, can complement the onion beautifully, while lard lends a unctuous richness.

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