Herbs and Spices  Herbs are from leafy aromatic plants grown in temperate zones. Their leaves, stems, and sometimes flowers can be used to add flavoring to foods. –Herbs may be fresh or dried  Spices are usually from tropical zones. The bark, seeds, roots, or berries add flavoring to foods. –Spices are most often available in a dry form. This workforce solution was funded by a grant awarded under the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership. This solution is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner. Carol Whitlock

Herbs and Spices  Add flavors that harmonize or contrast with the main ingredients.  Should not overwhelm the recipe.  Should build the flavor, not dominate [Avoid a 1-note flavor.]  When 2 ingredients contrast, they should be in balance

Herbs  Best added late to recipes if the recipe has a long cooking time. This avoids loss of flavor by excess heating or evaporation  Remember if you are reducing the liquid, the herbs will get more concentrated, too.  Added earlier into a recipe with a short cooking time.

Herbs  For this part of the class we will make herbal teas by mincing up the herbs available and putting a little in a cup with hot water. Allow them to steep, then smell and taste them.  Try to describe each flavor in words; record these on your summary sheet  Herbs available: - tarragon, rosemary, dill, marjoram, sage, oregano, cilantro, curly parsley, flat (Italian) parsley, mint

Tarragon  Has narrow dark green leaves  Is classic in béarnaise sauce and other French dishes  Goes well with seafood, chicken, omelets, and tomatoes  Drying may cause hay-like flavors to develop; best fresh

Rosemary  Has stiff, needle-like leaves  Popular as a garnish  Slight odor or camphor or pine  On drying, loses flavor and becomes hard  Often used with lamb, chicken, or other roasted meats, and potatoes.

Dill  Leaves and seeds are both used as flavoring  A member of the parsley family, but with a more distinctive flavor, with a touch of anise.  Classic with seafood, potatoes, pickles, bread  Often used in Scandinavian cooking

Cilantro  From the same plant as the spice coriander  Sharp, tangy, almost citrus flavor  Must be used fresh  Added after cooking to recipes  Its flavor is destroyed by drying

Parsley  The most commonly used herb  Adds flavor to most any savory food –Cheese –Meats –Poultry –Vegetables –Eggs –Savory butters  Curly or Flat (Italian) forms; curly is used more often and has a clean, tangy flavor

Sage  Fuzzy, soft leaves  Pungent and strong flavor  Avoid using too much  Pork, stuffing, poultry, sausage

Marjoram  Part of the Oregano family –“wild oregano”  Flavor increases when dried  Similar to thyme in flavor, but sweeter  Poultry, pork, braised meats, stuffing, sauces

Oregano  Pungent and peppery flavor  Popular in Mediterranean cooking  Italian, Greek, and Mexican foods  Classic with tomato in sauces

Thyme  Tiny leaves  Used by Egyptians for medicine and embalming  Strong, refined flavor, hints of sage  Dries well  Complements all meats, poultry seafood, vegetables

Mint  Complements sweet or mild flavors  Classic with lamb or fruit or lemonade  Some mints have additional flavors such as chocolate  Does not blend well with other spices and herbs. A dominant flavor  Use sparingly

Spices  Bark, roots, seeds, berries of tropical plants tropical plants  Usually available as dry, ground spice.  Add early in cooking for the dry spice flavor to blend with other flavors.

Spices: Cinnamon  Cinnamon is the bark of a tropical tree  Like other dried spices, it varies in quality  Used in China 2500 years ago  Used in sweet foods, but also with chocolate (Mexican), with lamb or spicy dishes

Spices: Cardomom  Cardomom is expensive, –second only to saffron in cost  Strong flavor, lemon and camphor notes  Used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine  Scandinavian breads  Loses flavor quickly after grinding

Spices: Nutmeg  Strong, sweet flavor  Use sparingly to avoid “1 note flavor”  Used in sweet pastries, with apples, in cream sauces, custards, sweet breads  Loses flavor rapidly after grinding

Spices: Allspice  Tastes like a blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg  Also known as Jamaican pepper  Is the dried berry of a Jamaican tree  Sometimes used in pepper blends  Widely used in baking and cooking; sausages, braised meats, fruit pies, puddings