Herbs
and
Spices
Herb Usage


When using herbs and spices to season foods, it is
important to use them sparingly.
Herbs should be used to enhance the food’s
natural flavors, rather than to dominate them.
Only very heavily spiced, exotic dishes require a
large amounts of flavoring in their preparation.
Herb Usage



Oils give herbs their aromas and flavors that are
volatile and can be destroyed if injured.
Select just enough herbs to be used, dried or
frozen, the same day.
Herbs should look healthy, fresh and clean, with
out any type of discoloring.
Herbs
 In
general use, herbs are any plant used
for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume.
Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs
as referring to the leafy green parts of a
plant (either fresh or dried)..
History
In the story of Genesis,
Joseph was sold into
slavery by his
brothers to
spice merchants.
Archaeological excavations
have uncovered
clove burnt onto
the floor of a kitchen
dated to 1700 BCE,
at the Mesopotamian
site of Terqa, in
modern-day Syria.
Dried Vs. Fresh
VS.
Dried Herbs
 Dried
herbs vs. Fresh herbs
 Use more fresh herbs than you would
dried herbs
 The loss of moisture strengthens and
concentrates the flavors of dried herbs
 In general use half the amount of dried
herbs than you would when using fresh
herbs
Basic Herbal Formulas
Dried herbs are more
concentrated than fresh,
and powdered herbs are
more concentrated than crumbled.
 Each herb is slightly
different but a starting formula
is: 1/4 teaspoon powdered herbs
is equaled to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon
crumbled or the equivalent
of 2 to 4 teaspoons fresh.

Commonly used Types of Herbs
 Parsley

leaf
Flat and Curly Matches well with: chicken,
eggplant, eggs, fish, game, lentils, mushrooms,
mussels, pasta, peas, potatoes, poultry, rice,
seafood, tomatoes, zucchini, lemon
Commonly used Types of Herbs




Chervil
Sometimes mistaken for parsley
Used for flavoring fish, chicken, or omelettes
A member of the parsley family, chervil has a mild flavor
with hints of liquorice or anise.
Basil
It is paired most often with tomatoes. Basil is primarily used in sauces, pizzas,
salads and pasta dishes. It is also the main ingredient used in pesto.
Thyme
Included in seasoning blends for poultry and stuffing and also
commonly used in fish sauces, chowders, and soups. It goes
well with lamb and veal as well as in eggs and croquettes.
Thyme if often paired with tomatoes.
Oregano
Goes well with vegetables, roast beef, lamb, chicken and
pork. Marjoram goes well with all pork and veal and
complements or stuffing for poultry.
Rosemary


Rosemary's aromatic flavor blends well with garlic
and thyme to season lamb roasts, meat stews, and
marinades.
Rosemary also enlivens lighter fish and poultry
dishes, tomato sauces, and vegetables.

Dress fresh steamed red potatoes and peas or a
stir fried mixture of zucchini and summer squash.

Rosemary has a tea like aroma and a piney flavor.
Crush leaves by hand or with a mortar and pestle
before using.
Rosemary
Dill
Is good in soups, omelets, seafood dishes, herring, salmon, potato salads, and
steamed vegetables. Dill seed is used in breads, pickling, cabbage dishes, stews,
rice and cooked root vegetables.
Chives
Lifts many foods above the ordinary. Sprinkle them on soups,
salads, chicken, potatoes, cooked vegetables and egg dishes.
Blend chopped chives with butter or cream cheese , yogurt sauces
and baked potatoes. Add toward the end of cooking or as a garnish.
Bay Leaf
Fragrant bay leaves are a basic ingredient of bouquet garni, but they
have other wonderful uses. Bay leaves may be added to many fish
dishes, particularly salmon, custards, stews, rice dishes and
especially soups.
Tarragon
Together with parsley, chervil, and chives make a traditional French blend,
Fines Herbes. Tarragon is exceptional in egg dishes, poached fish, mushrooms
and other vegetables.
Tarragon is good with chicken and in salad dressings. It is often used in sauces
like béarnaise and French cuisine. Tarragon is also often used to infuse vinegar
and olive oils.
Mints



Mint is used for seasoning lamb, vegetable such as
carrots, bell pepper, and tomatoes, in yogurt
dressings, and breads. It is also used in the Middle
East for salads, tabouli and marinated vegetables.
Mint is good in soups, salads, sauces, plain meat, fish
and poultry, stews, sweet or savory recipes, extremely
good with chocolate or lemon based desserts. Add
near the end of cooking for a better flavor.
Many types of mint exist, including creeping types
that make excellent ground cover and varieties that
grow up to two feet in height.
Edible Flowers
 Varieties
of Edible Flowers
Culinary Uses for Herbs


Make herbal butters and cream cheeses by mixing 1
tablespoon of finely chopped fresh herbs to 1/2 cup
margarine, butter, cottage cheese, low fat yogurt or
cream cheese.
Let it set for at least an hour to blend the flavor; then
taste test on a plain cracker or a melba round.
Culinary uses for herbs
 For
salsa, hot sauces and picante, add
finely chopped fresh or dried herbs
directly to the mixture
Culinary uses for herbs
Flavor vinegar for use in
cooking and in vinaigrettes.
Bruise one cup of leaves
for every 2 cups of white
wine or delicate vinegar.
allow to steep for two weeks.

Herbal Salads
 Herbal
Salad
 Herbs and Edible Flowers
 Tabouleh Salad
More Culinary uses
Tarragon ice cream, sorbets, and sauces.
Spices
a
"spice", a product from another part of
the plant (usually dried), including seeds,
berries, bark, roots and fruits.
History
 Humans
were using spices in 50,000 BCE
 The word spice comes from the Old
French word espice.
 By 1000 BCE, medical systems based upon
herbs could be found in China, Korea,
and India.
 Early uses were connected with magic,
medicine, religion, tradition, and
preservation.
History
Spices were among the
most demanded and
expensive products
available in Europe
in the Middle Ages,
the most common
being black pepper
and cinnamon
Spices
 Salt
and pepper is the common name for
edible salt and black pepper, a traditionally
paired set of condiments found on dining
tables where European-style food is eaten.
The pairing of salt and pepper as table
condiments dates to seventeenth-century.
Additional Salt Flavors
Salts can come in different
flavors.
These are used to add interesting
tastes and aromatic infusions into
dishes.
Peppercorns
 Peppercorns
have a long history of use as
a condiment and a currency during
human civilization. Peppercorns were first
used as a spice more than 4000 years
ago.
Peppercorns

Piper nigrum: The peppercorn plant belongs to the
piperaceae plant family. It is a woody evergreen
vine that grows up to 11 yards tall and has dark
green, broad, somewhat oval shaped leaves. The
plants use aerial roots to help them cling to, and
climb trees. Peppercorn plants have small white
flowers that bloom in clusters of up to 150 florets
and hang down in a spike. These flowers then
ripen into the little berries that we know as
peppercorns. It takes several years for a young
plant to flower and begin to produce fruit (the
peppercorns). Since peppercorn plants prefer hot,
humid, tropical environments, they are mostly
produced in India, although production also
occurs in Indonesia, Brazil, and other tropical
places. Black pepper often takes on the name of
the region where it is produced.
Peppercorns





Immature Green Peppercorns have a fresh & spicy flavor
that livens foods while adding a slightly milder peppercorn
heat.
Freshly Ground Black Pepper provides a delightfully spicy
kick and that unique peppercorn flavor. (Black Tellicherry &
Malabar varities)
White Peppercorns deliver a clean, spicy peppercorn taste
without the flavor or dark specks from the peppercorn's
outer coating.
Pink Peppercorns have a lovely fruity flavor and a mild
pepper flavor without any of the heat.
Sichuan Pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or
pungent like black, white or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight
lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth
(caused by its 3% of hydroxy alpha sanshool) that sets the stage for
hot spices. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking,
second edition, p429 they are not simply pungent; they produce a
strange, tingling, buzzing, numbing sensation that is something like
the effect of carbonated drinks or of a mild electrical current
(touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue).
Sanshools appear to act on several different kinds
Assorted Peppercorns
 Schechwun
and assorted peppercorns
Additional Spices
Cayenne , a hot, pungent powder made from various tropical chiles. The
cayenne chile is a bright red chile that ranges from 2-5 inches long and
about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cayenne chiles are generally sold dried and
used in soups and sauces. The majority of cayenne chiles are used to make
cayenne pepper.
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the
genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods.
Nutmeg and mace, have similar sensory qualities, with nutmeg having a
slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavour. Mace is often preferred
in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is
used for flavouring many dishes, usually in ground or grated form, and is
best grated fresh in a nutmeg grater.
Additional Spices



Star anise is the seed pod of an evergreen tree (Illicium Verum)
grown in southwestern China and Japan. It has a mild licorice
flavor.
Black cardamom has a distinctly more smokey, though not
bitter, aroma, with a coolness some consider similar to mint.
Green cardamom is one of the most expensive spices by
weight, but little is needed to impart the flavor. It has a
“gingery” flavor. Because each flower's stigmas need to be
collected by hand and there are only a few per flower, saffron
is the most expensive spice in the world.[citation needed]
Additional Spices
Saffron Because each flower's stigmas need to be collected by
hand and there are only a few per flower, saffron is the most
expensive spice in the world.
Cloves are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family
Myrtaceae.
Spices
 Most
herbs and spices have substantial
antioxidant activity, owing primarily to
phenolic compounds, especially
flavonoids, which influence nutrition
through many pathways, including
affecting the absorption of other nutrients.
One study found cumin and fresh ginger
to be highest in antioxidant activity. These
antioxidants also can act as natural
preservatives, preventing or slowing the
spoilage of food, leading to a higher
nutritional content in stored food.
 End of Slide Show