Give Personality to Food with Herbs and Spices

Spices and herbs are ingredients added to food to add flavour, savour and garnish. They usually originate from strong aromatic plants and come in various colours, textures and flavours. Spices and herbs are commonly included in very small quantities in recipes. Sometimes salt is mistakenly thought to be part of this group. Salt is merely a mineral. Herbs are usually wild tree leaves while spices are derived from dried seeds, fruits of temperate plants, barks, roots and flowers. Spices and herbs come from various parts of the world due to the climatic conditions of these regions. For example cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and pepper are common in a country like New Zealand because these spices favour Asian tropics, while coriander, fennel, fenugreek, mustard and poppy are harvested in the Mediterranean region and chillies and vanilla come from the Caribbean and Central America. The African continent has also contributed to the family of flavourants with its tamarind spice currently extensively throughout India, Southeast Asia, and the West Indies. Spices and herbs are a delicious additive to food and can also be mixed to achieve incredible gastronomical results. Apart from culinary use, spices and herbs have medicinal, aesthetic and horticultural benefits either in their natural and unharvested state or already as spices or herbs. This article develops the spices and herbs as used for culinary purposes.

There are many types of spices and herbs used in many homes irrespective of culture or geography. Some of these spices and herbs are basil, coriander, parsley, rosemary, paprika, cayenne and cinnamon. Starting with basil; it is a culinary herb with a sweet and mild flavour similar to a mint taste. It is an essential ingredient to make pesto sauce along with garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. It can also be employed as an air freshener on patios and windowsills. This makes basils multi-use products and results in high sales of this herb. Basils are very popular in Italian cuisine hence its popularity in pesto sauses. Coriander is an annual herb made from leaves or seeds. Coriander leaves are also known as Chinese parsley due to its similarity to parsley. Coriander gives a delicious flavour to salads, soups or can simply be used as garnish. Parsley is both a herb and a spice. It is used in a similar way to coriander and considered milder in taste. Rosemary is a very aromatic herb whose fresh and dry leaves are commonly used in Mediterranean cooking. Its somewhat bitter taste compliments many dishes. This gives it personality that has earned it volumes in works of literature like Don Quixote and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Paprika is a spice obtained from ground dry fruits. This spice can either be hot and spicy or mild in taste a sensation also referred to as heat. The spice or herb characteristic commonly referred to as hot is due to the capsaicin content thereof. The higher the capsaicin content the hotter the spice or herb is. Paprika is wildly used all over the world to season and even colour food. Paprika is a Hungarian word which means pepper and when mixed with henna is gains aesthetic use as a hair colouring agent. Cayenne is a pepper known for its pungent taste and smell. It is good in vitamins E, vitamin C and carotenoids. Therefore it is known for its properties as a stimulant of blood flow, among other qualities in the alleviation of gas problems, sore throats and weak digestion. Lastly, cinnamon is examined. It is a spice derived from the bark of a tree called Cinnamomum verum. It is used in both savoury and sweet dishes. In Spain it is enjoyed as a in a rice, milk and cinnamon dessert. It is widely available and sold either in its ground form or as rolled up sticks. Other than being used in the preparation of chocolate especially in Mexico, it can be used treatment of colds or in personal hygiene against bad breath. Cinnamon is believed to be an aphrodisiac and can also repel insects successfully. In order to appreciate the flavour of a spice or herb before employing , it is useful to mix it with butter, margarine or cream, let it stand for about an hour then taste it.

As mentioned earlier, spices and herbs are rather food compliments than ingredients when quantity is considered. As a result spices and herbs have low nutritional value unless taken in large quantities. In general, herbs and spices are low in fat, sodium, calories and cholesterol with a few exceptions like oil-rich sesame and poppy which contain a moderate amount of calories. Some spices like cinnamon and clovers are even believed to be aphrodisiacs. In terms of storage, they should be stored in dry and airtight containers away from the sun which degrades their savoury and colourful qualities. These containers can be plastic bars, glass containers like jars or steel containers. Storing them without packaging should be avoided. Spices and herbs are generally available in many supermarkets or can be bought online. Their cost varies according to the type of spice and its availability by its producers.