Herbs, Spices and Sugars Culinary Foundations

Basil  Delicate pointed green leaf  Sweet aromatic flavor  Used for pesto, tomato sauces and popular Mediterranean foods

Bay Leaf  Stiff, green oval leaf  Stocks, soups, and stews

Cilantro (Coriander)  Flat green lead with serrated edges  Strong flavor  Citrus tones  Uses: Salsa  Important to Latin America/ Asian cuisine

Dill  Dark, green, feathery leaves  Uses: pickling, excellent with fish  Important in Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisines

Mint  Pointed leaves with serrated edges  Peppermint and spearmint  Uses: garnish  Important to Middle Eastern cuisine

Oregano  Small oval leaf  Uses: tomato sauces  Popular in Italian, Greek and Mexican

Parsley  Flat or curly, jagged edges  Uses: Southern European cuisine

Rosemary  Stiff needles and a woody stem  Pinelake aroma  Excellent with poultry, lamb, pork and game

Sage  Oval leaves, dusty velvety texture  Popular in stuffing and sausages  Goes well with poultry, pork and game

Tarragon  Long stem, with long narrow leaves  Slight licorice flavor  Uses: fish, chicken, eggs, salad dressing, essential for bearnaise sauce

Thyme  Very small oval leaves on a thin fibrous stems  Savory flavor  Uses: stocks, soups and sauces

Spices

Allspice  Dried berries of a Caribbean tree  Known as Jamaican pepper  Flavor of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves  Uses: pickling and baking

Anise  Seeds of a small annual plant, originated in Egypt  strong licorice flavor  Uses: liquor and baking

Chile Powder  Ground of red Chile peppers  Popular ingredient in Mexican and Southwestern cooking

Cinnamon  Bark of a tropical tree  Sweet flavor  Extremely popular in pastries and fruit dishes

Cloves  Sun-dried buds of a tropical tree  Strong sweet aroma  Uses: pickling, marinades, and baked goods

Cumin  Slender brown seed of an annual plant  Originated in the middle East  Chili and Curry  Popular in Mexican, Indian and Middle Eastern Cookery

Curry Powder  Mixture of a dozen or more spices  Used in curries and stews  Indian and Southern Asian Cuisine

Dill Seed  Light, brown oval seeds from dill plant  Popular for pickling

Fennel Seed  Greenish, brown pointed seed of the fennel plant whose bulb is used as a vegetable  Licorice flavor  Used in sausages and pork dishes  Popular in Italian cuisine

Ginger  Root of a tropical plant grown in Asia and the Caribbean  Available as fresh, dried, or preserved with sugar  Uses: baking and pastries  Widely used in Asian cuisines

Nutmeg  Woody inner seed of the same tropical plant  Produces mace  Uses: pastry, baking, vegetable and potatoes  Sweet Flavor

Paprika  Powder ground from a variety of different red Child peppers  Sweet or hot  Used in a wide variety of soups, stews, and sauces for color and flavor  Popular in Hungarian and Spanish cuisines

Poppy Seeds  Small, black seeds of the poppy flower  Slightly nutty flavor  Uses: breads and pastries

Saffron  Stigma or center of the crocus flower  Expensive because it is handpicked  Gives food a bright yellow color and subtle flavor  Uses: rice dishes, sauces, seafood  Important in Mediterranean cuisines

Sesame Seeds  Pale- colored seeds of an annual plant native to India  Seeds are ground to a paste (tahini) or can be made into oil  Uses: breads, pasties, and vegetable dishes  Middle Eastern, Asian, and African cuisines

Turmeric  Root of a lily native to Southeast Asia  Bright yellow color it fives dishes  Uses: rice dishes, curries, pickling, and prepared mustard

Sugars

Sugar  Scientific name “sucrose”  Refined from either sugarcane plant or sugar beets  Granulated sugar used most often  Add sweet flavor to dishes

Molasses  Liquid that is leftover after refined sugar is extracted from sugarcane juice  Less sweet than sugar  Can come in light and dark  More it is processed the darker it gets

Brown Sugar  Originally partially refined sugar  Made by adding molasses back into refined sugar  Comes in light and dark as a result of quantity and intensity of molasses

Honey  Formed from flower necter gathered by bees  Clover, alfalfa, and orange blossom  Can be made from different flowers: wildflowers, lavender, and buckwheat  Sweeter than sugar, but can be substituted equally

Maple and Corn Syrup Maple  Traditional American staple from the maple tree  Due to cost many maple syrups are made from corn syrup with artificial maple flavor Corn  Starchy part of the corn  Referred to as “glucose”  Two different kinds- Light and Dark  Versatile