Friday, April 26, 2013

Five Herbs and Spices Every Kitchen Should Have


Pepper
Pepper is one of most popular cooking spice in the world. Black pepper is produced from the still-green unripe berries of the pepper plant, while white pepper consists of the seed only – with the skin of the fruit removed. Pepper gets its spicy heat mostly from the piperine compound, which is found both in the outer fruit and in the seed. 

Salt
Salt is an essential cooking spice as just one small pinch has the power to bring out the flavour of the food terrifically. There are a few different types of salt – such as sea salt and table salt. Sea salt is made from evaporating seawater in protected bays and has the purest, freshest flavour, while table salt is mined from rock salt deposits of ancient sea beds and is highly processed with additives. 

Garlic
Garlic, a member of the onion family, is classified as a culinary herb. It has a characteristic pungent, spicy flavour that mellows and sweetens considerably with cooking. As a fundamental component in many dishes, a garlic bulb divides into cloves that can be chopped, minced or used whole when cooking.

Thyme
This culinary herb is flavourful but does not overpower, and blends well with other herbs and spices. It is a good source of iron and is used widely in cooking. Depending on the dish you are making the whole sprig may be used, or the leaves removed and the stems discarded. Thyme is slow to release its flavours, so it is usually added early in the cooking process. It is commonly used in fish, chicken and beef dishes to enhance the flavour.

Coriander
Coriander is a culinary herb, but the plant’s dried fruit – known as coriander seeds – is used as a cooking spice. Coriander can be described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured. The herb leaves have a very different taste from the seeds and are rich in vitamins A and B1, calcium, riboflavin and niacin.

By Danie de Villiers - Freelancer

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