Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Sauce

Sauce

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

Sauce is defined by the unmistakable flavours of vinegar and honey, but beneath its sourness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as caramel, garlic, and tomato, that give it remarkable depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for sauce is understanding how these notes harmonise.

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 cocoa powder's cocoa tones ground sauce, and how salad greens's leafy notes create a surprising synergy with its sharp acidity.

Flavour Profile Of Sauce Across 150 Dimensions Of Flavour

The flavour notes evoked by sauce

Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of sauce

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. acidic, maillard, and spice) 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.

The Flavour Code


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.


Our analysis reveals a strong connection between vinegar and chlorophyll flavours. Since sauce has a distinct vinegary flavour, try pairing it with the green flavours of salad greens.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing sauce with salad greens.

  • Duck salad
    Great British Chefs

    The rich flavour of duck is offset perfectly by the citrus tang of the fruit and a crunchy green salad in this fantastic duck recipe from Tong Chee Hwee - just remember to plan your timings carefully to allow sufficient marinating time. Pomelos, a vast, mellow citrus fruit, should be available from Asian supermarkets and specialist greengrocers.

  • Brazilian beef with sweet potato wedges
    Great British Chefs

    Karen Burns-Booth adds a twist to a classic dinner of steak and chips by marinating the beef in a tangy Brazilian sauce to add extra flavour, and opting for tender, orange sweet potatoes for the wedges. This easy steak recipe is incredibly quick to prepare and therefore perfect for enjoying with family and friends for an al fresco dinner or summer ...

    • Harmonious Flavours Of Sauce


    Just as our analysis revealed that vinegar and green flavour notes frequently pair together, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavours present in sauce. For instance, the honeyed notes of sauce are strongly associated with cocoa and coffee-like notes.

    The aroma notes linked to the various aroma accents of sauce can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

    Flavour Profile Of Sauce And Its Complementary Flavour Notes

    The flavour notes evoked by sauce

    Complementary flavours of sauce

    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of sauce

    Matching Flavour Profiles


    The flavour profile of cocoa powder offers many of the aromas complementary to sauce, including cocoa and coffee accents. Because the flavour profile of cocoa powder has many of the of the features that are complementary to sauce, they are likely to pair very well together.

    Prominent Flavour Notes Of Cocoa Powder Are Represented By Longer Bars

    The flavour notes evoked by cocoa powder

    Hover over the bars in chart above to identify the flavour notes of cocoa powder

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


    Recipes That Pair Sauce With Cocoa Powder


  • Chocolate and fig steamed pudding with chocolate sauce recipe 
    The Telegraph

    A wonderfully decadent chocolate pudding made with cardamom, orange and boozy figs, with an unmissable chocolate sauce that is also delicious with other desserts. Prep time: 25 minutes | Cooking time: 2 hours 5 minutes  10
 METHOD 

  • Cheesy Stuffed Mexican Peppers With Red Chili Sauce Recipe
    Serious Eats

    These Mexican-flavored peppers sport a cheesy, creamy beef-and-rice filling that's spiked with chili powder and cumin. It's topped with an enchilada-style sauce and gets its depth from ancho chili and unsweetened cocoa powders and its aromatics from cumin and lightly floral Mexican oregano.

    • Linked Flavour Notes


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

    The Flavour Notes That Harmonise With Sauce And The Ingredients That Share Some Of These Notes

    Sauce's Strongest Flavours

    Complementary Flavours


    Ingredients with Complementary Flavours





    Flavour groups:


    Nectarous

    Acidic

    Herbal

    Spice

    Vegetal

    Maillard

    Earthy

    Woody

    Carnal

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


    What To Drink With Sauce


    The olive notes in tuscany make it a perfect pairing with sauce. Likewise, the coffee flavours in black americano coffee create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of sauce below.




    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.