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Ch. 8: Flavorings from Plants

Ch. 8: Flavorings from Plants Definitions Herbs: leaves and stems: fresh or dried Spices: dry seed, bark, root, fruit Examples Herb: basil (leaves) Spice: cinnamon (bark) The Nature of Flavor Part taste, mostly smell Taste categories: Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, savory (umami)

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Ch. 8: Flavorings from Plants

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  1. Ch. 8: Flavorings from Plants

  2. Definitions • Herbs: leaves and stems: fresh or dried • Spices: dry seed, bark, root, fruit • Examples • Herb: basil (leaves) • Spice: cinnamon (bark)

  3. The Nature of Flavor • Part taste, mostly smell • Taste categories: • Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, savory (umami) • Smell or aroma categories • Thousands due to a complex mixture of aroma characteristics from many molecules

  4. History of Spices: European Perspective • Tropical Asia always had numerous spices • Romans had pepper (yawn!) • Arab traders bring exotic spices to ancient kingdoms (3000 BCE -200 BCE) by "the Golden Road of Samarkand" • Romans take over spice trade for 1000 yrs (200 BCE – 1200 CE) • Turks control supply routes to Asia; Portugal and Spain find new sea routes to Asia (de Gama, India) and discover New World to boot (Columbus) • Portuguese then Spanish control the Spice Islands until 1600, followed by the Dutch • Spices planted in other tropical countries (West Indies), price drops, demand decreases in Europe • US interest in Asian and Latin American foods 1965 to present sharply increases demand for spices

  5. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Allspice • Allspice takes its name from its aroma, which smells like a combination of spices, especially cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. • Found exclusively in the Western Hemisphere (evergreen: Central and South Americas)

  6. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Anise • Flavoring for licorice candy (only 2% is natural licorice) • Used in baking (unlike star anise)

  7. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Basil • Eight types of basil: sweet, bush, purple (purple ruffle and dark opal), Thai, holy, cinnamon, camphor

  8. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Bay leaf • From laurel tree, Laurus nobilis • Famous herb in ancient Greece and Rome, associated with heroic deeds and poetry • Today Laurus in words like baccalaureate, poet laureate, Nobel laureate

  9. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Cardamom • Third most expensive spice • One of the oldest known • Word comes Arabic “to warm”, distinct warming quality • 80% consumed in Arab countries (cardamom coffee, Gahwa) • 10% consumed by Nordic countries (pastries)

  10. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Cilantro and Coriander • Cilantro (herb) and coriander (spice) both come from the same plant, Coriandrum sativum. • Cilantro • Coriander

  11. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Cinnamon • Inner bark of Sri Lankan tropical evergreen Cinnamomum zeylanicum • In ancient times, more precious than gold • In North America, cinnamon is confused with and replaced by the stronger flavored cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) • Antibacterial agent

  12. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Clove • Immature unopened buds of a tropical tree native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia • Very potent! Use sparingly! • Component of several spice mixtures, including ras el hanout and curry powders • Antibacterial agent (more potent than cinnamon)

  13. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Cumin • Used in spicy foods • Ingredient in most curry powders • Essential in spicy Mexican foods (chili con carne, enchiladas with chili sauce) • Flavors couscous, the national dish of Morocco

  14. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Fennel • Both herb (leaves) and spice (seeds) • Tastes like mild anise (licorice flavor) • Stalks and root eaten as a vegetable • Ingredient in Chinese five spice powder and some curries

  15. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Ginger • Native to India and China • Important in Chinese medicine • From Sanskrit stringa-vera: “with a body like a horn” • Common in medieval Europe, set with salt and pepper • Sprinkled in beer: origin of ginger ale and ginger beer

  16. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Kaffir lime • Distinctive lemon-lime aroma essential in Thai cooking

  17. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Lavender • Strong perfumery odor. Dried can be overpowering in food (use a little)! • Used in pastries, custards, and hearty meat dishes • Desserts decorated with sugared lavender flowers • Component of Herbes de Provence and ras el hanout

  18. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Lemon grass • Featured in Indonesian, Maylasian, Sri Lankan, and Thai dishes • Combines well with coconut milk

  19. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Mace and Nutmeg • Mace • The aril (bright, red, lacy covering) of the nutmeg seed shell • Sweet and fragrant, similar aroma to nutmeg, but stronger • Replacement for nutmeg where lighter color is desirable

  20. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Mace and Nutmeg • Nutmeg • Nutmeg seed kernel • Not a nut, does not affect those with nut allergies • Sweet, aromatic, and nutty

  21. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Rosemary • Historically a symbol of love, friendship, and remembrance • Potent flavor with complex mixture of pine, mint, and ginger • Complements chives, thyme, chervil, parsley, bay • Useful in both meat and vegetable recipes

  22. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Saffron • Most expensive spice • 225,000 flowers (crocuses) = 75,000 hand-picked stigmas (threads) = 1 lb • Ingredient in Spanish paella and risotto Milanese • Honey aroma, bitter honey flavor

  23. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Sage • Originally a tea • Grows wild in Dalmatia, Yugoslavia • Useful in moderation with fatty meats and poultry (duck) and carbohydrate-rich foods (vegetable soups, stuffing, scones)

  24. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Savory • Dominated European cooking for 2000 years • Word itself denotes tasty, flavorful • Component of the herb mixture fines herbes

  25. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Star anise • Fruit of an oriental tree, dried and ground • Powerful, liquorice aroma, harsher than anise • Component of Chinese Five Spice powder • Often simmered with soy sauce • Used in China for both sweet and savory foods (not in the West, sweet = anise)

  26. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Tamarind • Sticky pulp of seed from bean pods of tamarind tree • Buy as pressed, brown, fibrous slabs • Sweet, sour, fruity aroma and taste

  27. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Tarragon • Subtle aromatic flavor • Component of fines herbes • Particularly useful in French sauces • Complements fish and shellfish

  28. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Thyme • Found in almost all savory dishes in the West and Middle East • Provides depth

  29. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Turmeric • 4000 yr old spice and dye • Principal ingredient in Indian curry • Curcumin in turmeric is an anticancer agent, antioxidant, antriinflammatory agent, antibacterial agent, and Alzheimer’s disease suppressant and reversal agent

  30. A Closer Look at Some Herbs and Spices • Vanilla • Second most expensive spice • Native to Mexico • Naturally pollinated by Mexican bees and hummingbirds, otherwise by hand • Need a complicated curing and drying process

  31. Chemical Composition of Flavor • Terpenes (fresh, pine, citrus, woody, warm “sweet”) • All derived from two or more fused units of isoprene (5 carbon compound): • Examples:

  32. Chemical Composition of Flavor • Phenolics (distinctive, penetrating, pungent) • All derived from benzene ring (6-sided ring with alternating double bonds) and at least one additional oxygen atom. • Examples:

  33. Chemical Composition of Flavor • Pungent compounds: pain as pleasure • Fresh ginger has gingerol. • Piperine from black pepper is slightly more pungent than fresh ginger. • Sanshools originates from Sichuan pepper. • Thiocyanates from horseradish, mustard seed, wasabi. • Capsaicins from chilis , about 100-300 times more pungent than black pepper • Feel hotter, inducing sweating, and increased blood flow in the skin • Irritating to nasal passages and lungs

  34. Chemical Composition of Flavor • Ginger’s pungency transformation:

  35. Chemical Composition of Flavor • Structures of other pungent compounds:

  36. Using Herbs and Spices in Cooking • Herbs have more volatile flavor compounds easily removed by drying and roasting • Spices have less volatile flavor compounds that are released by cooking in oil • Maturation of spices changes their flavor • Both herbs and spices are best used as fresh as possible to avoid loss of flavor

  37. Tea and Coffee • Tea (herb) • Coffee (spice) • Both contain caffeine (a stimulant) • Tea contains another stimulant, theophylline • Decaffeinated tea and coffee best produced by Swiss water process or using supercritical CO2. • Polyphenols in black tea are powerful antioxidants; larger = darker = less bitter = less astringent

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