The database ‘Volatile Compounds in Food’ started in 1963. In the edition released in November 2007, a ‘compare’ function is offered as a new option. The database is used to evaluate the food pairing theory: if the major volatile molecules of two foods are the same, they might taste (and smell) nice when the foods are eaten together. With a sensory test it was proved whether the hypothesis of food pairing is valid. Seven different ingredients were mixed in all combinations. It was tested whether the score for the two combined ingredients was higher than the average score for the two separate ingredients. On basis of this experiment the food pairing theory can be rejected.