Culinary seasonings and spices are nutritional supplements. Seasonings - food improvers of vegetable, animal or artificial origin, with a spicy smell, as well as dry mixtures of herbs and prepared liquid sauces. In addition, spices include salt, sugar, ammonium, yeast, citric acid, monosodium glutamate, soda, guar gum, carob powder, agar-agar, gelatin, etc.
Spices and seasonings - what's the difference?
Spices change the taste and texture of a dish without affecting its smell. Spices are responsible for the aroma. As for color, spicy herbs, such as saffron, turmeric, parsley, rose, etc., act as dyes. Artificial food colors are usually referred to as spices. It is impossible to draw an exact border between seasonings and spices, since salt flavored with ground pepper is already seasoning, and sugar flavored with vanilla is a seasoning called vanilla sugar. The terminology debate can go on endlessly, but that is not our goal.
The ability to properly handle food seasonings and spices is a real art. We will introduce you to some little-known, but very good classic seasonings and the most expensive spices, as well as talk about some rules that should be followed when using southern spices and seasonings. Their use with photographs of individual mixtures and plants can also be seen in the material presented to your attention.
Magical Food Supplements
Most of us constantly have in the kitchen some specific familiar set of natural herbal food additives, usually no more than a dozen. It may not change in a lifetime. This is a big omission, because the herbs used in cooking are about one and a half hundred. They are part of sauces, added to food at the personal discretion of the chef, and also combined in a bouquet that ennobles a particular product or gives a name to the whole dish.
Traveling around the world and getting acquainted with national cuisine, at some point we think: "And what is included in this or that, especially liked dish?" For the original taste, it is not always possible to recognize ordinary beef, rice, cod, pasta, squid, potatoes, etc. The same products are in our city. Metamorphosis is achieved due to unusual seasonings.
The main supplier of natural aromatic and spicy additives is India. It is Indian spices and seasonings that are considered the best in the world. They are the core of any culinary seasoning. The climate of this country, as well as the islands of Ceylon and Sri Lanka, is ideal for the ripening of aromatic herbs used in cooking.
The function of spices in cooking
Let's see if spices and seasonings are so important and necessary in our kitchen? Their use in home cooking is not a cheap pleasure. One kilogram of pepper, zira, saffron, cardamom, nigella, any of the overseas spices costs from a thousand rubles (this is the lowest grade) and higher. Why puzzle over guessing which spices will be the most harmonious in a particular dish? Isn't it better, without further ado, to limit yourself to salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf, dill, parsley, vanilla and cinnamon, that is, those additives that have long been settled in our kitchens? For ready-made meals, it’s easier and more convenient to use purchased sauces like ketchup or mayonnaise, mustard and horseradish, and serve sweet dishes with jam and whipped cream.
All this is true, but culinary seasonings and spices perform much more tasks than the additives listed above.
They are intended to set off the best flavoring and aromatic notes of the prepared product. So, for example, the river bottom fish burbot is distinguished by tender meat, and its liver is a delicacy more valuable than the liver of cod or poultry. However, the specific smell of tina needs to be eliminated, otherwise eating this fish is completely impossible. Properly selected spices and seasonings will save the situation. Their application should be mastered for other reasons.
Four properties
Spices and seasonings add appeal to dishes, firstly, ennoble the smell of the original product. This helps to improve appetite and the timely release of gastric juice, which contributes to better digestion of food.
Secondly, some Indian seasonings and spices (names and photos of them can be seen in this article) improve the appearance of the products.
Thirdly, they contribute to a longer preservation of the freshness of food, acting as light preservatives and antiseptics.
Fourth, all of them have powerful therapeutic effects on all organs and systems of the human body.
Influence on the senses and creating a pleasant atmosphere
It should be noted that one who knows how and willingly prepares delicious food is pleasant and respected in any company. It is embarrassing to admit this, but to a person who comes to visit with an exquisite treat, everyone is always happy, and this greatly facilitates the establishment of friendly relations.
Entering a house where it smells of cinnamon from a freshly baked apple pie, or treating yourself to a rich borsch with aromatic herbs, you involuntarily think that the hosts here are excellent people.
If you agree that tasty food is the right spices, if you think that spices and seasonings, their use in cooking is a valuable skill that promotes communication and attracts friends, then this article is for you.
Continental cuisine has long mastered Indian spices. The shops sell ready-made, seasoned and packaged in bags and jars popular seasonings and spices that go well with European products. These mixtures can be purchased in stores in the form of powdered spices mixed with salt, you can find widely known sets of spices, or you can try to collect a classic seasoning yourself. This is much more interesting, in addition, excellent quality is guaranteed.
Ras Al Khanut
This is a Turkish national seasoning, which has long migrated to many European and Middle Eastern cuisines. Ras al-Hanut - a bouquet of herbs that invariably accompany dolma. It certainly includes basil, tarragon and oregano. In addition, usually a few more components are added to the choice of the cook.
If you want to cook an authentic dish, head to the bazaar to the place where Turkish spices and seasonings are sold. You may not know their application, and this is not necessary. It is enough to say two words to the merchant: “dolma” and “ras-el-khanut”, and the seller of spices will collect for you an individual and unique set. “Ras al-hanut” - seasoning collected by the owner of the shop at his own discretion in accordance with the components included in the conceived dish, as well as taking into account the personal taste preferences of the buyer. The name of the seasoning is translated - "the owner of the shop."
Baharat
Among the popular Turkish seasonings, one of the places of honor is occupied by a mixture of spices called “Baharat”. Kebab is not complete without a fragrant bouquet of cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg and mint. As a supplement, an addition of zira, cardamom, cloves, coriander, Jamaican pepper and paprika is possible. Variable seasonings may also contain ginger, savory, fenugreek, lumi, rose petals or oregano. Turkish cuisine is rarely dispensed with mint leaves and savory. When adding fresh leaves, remember that they should not be cut or chopped in any other way with metal knives. This provokes an oxidative reaction that distorts the properties of plants.
"Beau monde"
Europeans who prefer meat to seafood have long mastered southern seasonings and spices. Their use in dishes of squid, shrimp and scallops is absolutely justified. The mixture, known as Beaumond, is a seasoning that perfectly shades the best notes of the muscular tissue of marine invertebrates. It softens the harsh taste of algae and iodine. Suitable for both main dishes and soups.
The Beaumond contains ten components: celery seeds, bay leaf, nutmeg flower and nut itself, cinnamon, cloves, three types of pepper - Jamaican (allspice, large peas), white and black hot peas (peas) and salt.
Punch Puren
Punch Puren, as the name implies, is a mixture of five herbs. These are taken in equal parts seeds of nigella, black mustard, zira, fenugreek and fennel. The use of “punch purin” is very diverse.
Seeds can be fried in a pan with oil until aroma appears, and then season with this oil porridge, pour meat or fish, add to soup. Vegetable, meat, fish and bean dishes are ideal for punch purin.
Another way to use a mixture of five seeds is to grind the seeds into powder and combine with a fine salt. It is good to sprinkle ready-made dishes with such salt, as well as add to marinades. The seasonings and spices listed above, their use in different dishes, allow you to realize a craving for new experiences and turn daily standing at the stove into a magical effect.
Saffron
Not in vain the first overseas spice, which we will talk about separately, was selected as saffron. He is the record holder for the number of fakes, and this is no accident. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. The king of spices and the spice of kings, as the proverb says. In a dish, saffron performs the function of spices, and spices, and dye.
It is better not to combine saffron with any other herbs, and add only a few threads to the food, not more.
Turmeric, safflower, marigolds, etc. are often sold under the guise of saffron. You can distinguish a gourmet food supplement from a fake by carefully examining it. Purple threads are the stigmas of a flower pestle, known as crocus. At the base, these threads are paler than at the top. The upper part is somewhat thicker and more bizarre in shape.
One gram of saffron is estimated at about two dollars. Why so much? The fact is that only saffron has unique consumer value, which has grown in certain latitudes, but it is collected manually. Three stigmas are extracted from each crocus. They are spice. Want to find a real saffron? It is very difficult. Try searching stores selling Indian condiments and spices. His names are the same in any language - saffron and crocus. The photograph clearly shows the stigmas of crocus.
Cardamom
The second royal spice is cardamom. There are two types of cardamom - green and black.
Green is known to many. It is added to coffee, tea, milk drinks. Green cardamom acts very well on the heart muscle, and also destroys pathogenic microflora and significantly improves overall health. This is a universal spice, therefore, it is included in a huge number of seasonings. Its distinguishing feature is that in small quantities it enhances the aromas of other components of the dish, and in large amounts it drowns them out.
Black cardamom is less common than green on the shelves of Russian stores. It is distinguished by a slightly smoky, tarry, earthy smell. It goes well with its green counterpart, but is less popular. To prepare mixtures, grind a dry box with seeds and add to curry, masala and other seasonings.
Storage rules
Dry spicy herbs give off their aroma when heated in a liquid, and seeds when heated to 60 degrees in a dry pan with a thick bottom. Spices should be stored in sealed glass jars in a place protected from moisture and daylight. Whole peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, seeds of umbrella plants (zira, nigella, fennel, dill, cumin) and many others can be stored without losing valuable properties for several years.
As for ready-made spices and seasonings, they are subject to more stringent requirements regarding shelf life. It is better not to make ground mixtures for future use. After a week, they usually expire.
A few words in conclusion
Seasonings and spices, their application is a whole science. No need to be afraid of experimentation. There is a rule: if the spices are combined with each other, then they are suitable for the same products. The most important thing is to use spices in a very small amount. A couple of grains of crushed zira will play a positive role in a small dish, and an excess of even the best seasoning will spoil the product.
Remember that the art of cooking does not stand still. A well-known expert on cooking, William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin, in his books on the use of spices, argued that bay leaf is not compatible with chicken dishes. However, Indian seasonings discovered by Russians in recent decades, designed for flavoring poultry, offer curry mixtures containing exactly this spice. In addition, during the time of Pokhlebkin, a broiler bird did not exist. At present, it is generally accepted that only rosemary does not tolerate the proximity to bay leaves.
Unfortunately, within the framework of one article it is impossible to tell about all Indian, Turkish and other overseas seasonings and spices. Their application is described in numerous modern guides to the cuisines of different nations. Zaatar, cabsa, kajun mixture, dukka, adjika, hops-suneli, masala, curry, sambal, hawaj - all these are just a small part of mixtures containing wonderful spicy plants: pepper, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, asafoetida, nutmeg, saffron, sumy, nakakesharu, turmeric, cardamom, coriander, etc. Feel free to use them in your own dishes and please yourself and your loved ones with delicious treats!