Herbs & spices knowledge/ chefqtrainer.blogspot.com

Herbs and Spices
Delhindra/chefqtrainer.blogspot.com

Herbs
 Leaves, stems or flowers of an aromatic plant
 Fresh or Dried
 Dried herbs are stronger than fresh
 When using dried herbs crumble or crush them to release
flavor
 Use 2-3 time more fresh then dried
 Add fresh herbs at the end of cooking

Spices
 Bark, roots, seeds, buds or berries of an aromatic
plant.
 Usually dried – ground or whole
 Might be fresh, such as ginger
 Store in tightly covered containers in cool dry place.

Basil – Italian Dishes
Basil, a popular herb with a mild and
sweet flavor that has a name which means
'king' in Greek language.
And it is rightly called so because many
culinary experts consider it a royal herb.
Used primarily for its aroma, basil is used
a lot in Indian as well as international
cuisines.
While freshly plucked basil adds much
needed fragrance to the dish, dried basil
leaves mostly contribute to the taste

Sweet Basil: One of the most common varieties of basil that is used in
tomato based dishes and Italian cuisine.
Lemon Basil: Found mostly in Asia and north-eastern Africa and is used
predominantly in Thai cuisine.
Thai Basil: Identified with its purple stem and flowery green leaves, Thai
basil has a mint-like flavour.
Holy Basil: Also known as tulsi, Holy basil is grown in most Indian
homes and has many medicinal qualities.
Health benefits of Basil
- Helps control blood pressure
- Ensures oxygen carrying capacity in blood
- Rich source of powerful antioxidants
Popular Basil dishes: Pesto, Basil tea, Tomato Basil soup, Basil pasta
salad, fruit salads and Margarita pizza.
Types of Basil

Bay leaf refers to the aromatic leaves
of several plants used in cooking.
These include: Bay laurel. Fresh or
dried bay leaves are used in cooking
for their distinctive flavor and
fragrance.
Popular Bay leaf dishes : Soups, Stews,
Meats
Use the whole leaf, but remove before
serving
Bay Leaf

Chives
Chives give a mild onion-like flavor to
many foods and often are blended with
other herbs for salads, soups and
omelets.
They have beneficial effects on the
circulatory, digestive and respiratory
systems. Chives are usually served in
small amount
Popular Basil dishes:
Potatoes, Garnishes, Seafood, Soups

Cilantro/Coriander Leaf
This member of the carrot family is
also referred to as Chinese Parsley
and Coriander. It is actually the
leaves (and stems) of the Coriander
plant.
Cilantro has a very pungent odor and
is widely used in Mexican, Caribbean
and Asian cooking. The Cilantro
leaves look a bit like flat Italian
parsley and in fact are related.
Popular cilantro dishes : Mexican
Food, Thai Food, Sauces, Salsa

Dill
Dill Weed is a tall, feathery annual in the
parsley family.
The weed is used to make Indian vegetables.
In Western cuisines it is used to flavor herb
vinegars, and shellfish, rice, bread, soups
and stews.
The Dill weed has aromatic leaves which are
used fresh to flavor many South Indian
dishes. Like bay leaves sometimes, they are
added for their flavor and kept aside while
eating.
Popular dill dishes : Fish, Potatoes,
Pickles, Dips, Carrots, Bread

Mint
Mint is one of the most commonly
used and grown ingredients across
the world. It is a fresh, flavoursome,
lush green herb that comes with a
long shelf life so it can be stored in
airtight bags for months.
Menthol, its core ingredient gives it
the characteristic aroma and flavor.
Popular Mint dishes: Desserts, Lamb,
Tea, Mint chutney

Lemon Grass
Lemongrass has a refreshing
lemon-lime taste with a tinge of
mint and ginger.
Lemongrass is a key ingredient in
Asian cuisine, particularly Thai,
at home in curries, stir fries and
noodles. It pairs beautifully with
fish, chicken and coriander.
Popular lemon grass dishes:
Chicken, Seafood, Thailand
Cuisine, Indonesia Cuisine

Oregano
Oregano is an important
culinary herb, used for the
flavor of its leaves, which
can be more flavorful when
dried than fresh.
Popular oregano dishes:
Italian Food, Mexican Food,
Pizza, Spaghetti, Tomato
Sauce

Yet another herb that derives its name from
Greek language, Parsley is mostly used for
garnishing than flavoring.
Dark green in color with stubby stems, when
sprinkled over dishes minutes before serving,
the aromatic herb plays its role in tempting the
taste buds. While its fresh scent accentuates the
flavor and of any dish,
Curly leaf Parsley: Less fragrant and bitter in
taste, it is a popular garnishing ingredient for
soups and salads.
Italian or flat leaf Parsley: Very
flavoursome and is used during cooking the dish
as it retains its flavour till the end.
Popular Parsley dishes: Mashed, buttered
Parsley potatoes, meat and vegetable soup with
Parsley garnishing, Parsley pesto, and grilled
trout with lemon.
Parsley

Thyme releases its strong, pungent flavour very
slowly and hence is mostly added to the recipe
along with all the other ingredients.
The herb is widely used in dishes that involve
tossing, sauteing and stewing such as scrambled
eggs, salads and soups.
Both fresh and dried forms of the herb are
popular ingredients for a wide variety of dishes
across multiple cuisines.
Thyme also contributes greatly to meat and
vegetable preparations and is a significant
element for marinades.
Popular Thyme dishes: Spiced Roast Salmon,
Thyme and Garlic Chicken, Grilled Chicken
Breasts with Lemon and Thyme, and Thyme Au
Gratin Potatoes.
Thyme

Rosemary
The firm, woody herb with fragrant,
needle-like leaves is Rosemary.
Bittersweet and lemony in taste, the
aromatic herb is popularly used across
dishes that involve stuffing or dressing.
Besides that, it is also used as a flavoring
agent for soups, meat dishes particularly
lamb and vegetable platters.
Popular Rosemary dishes: Rosemary
lamb shanks, Rosemary chicken with
potatoes and Rosemary shortbread.

Sage plays the role of a seasoning ingredient
for fatty meats such as poultry and pork, which
is during the early phase of cooking. This is
mainly because it helps in digestion and
ensures a toned flavor.
Popular Sage dishes: Pork, Turkey,
Stuffing, Mushrooms
Sage

Tarragon
Tarragon has a flavor similar to anise or
fennel. Sweet with a licorice flavor, it
is., tarragon is a necessary ingredient
during the preparation of hollandaise
sauce, Béarnaise sauce, sauce tartare,
Montpellier butter and many
vinaigrettes as well as salad dressings.
This plant is always
Popular tarragon dishes: Chicken, Eggs,
Mushroom, Seafood ( Lobster Bisque,
Béarnaise Sauce etc.

Allspice
Allspice is a cured, unripe berry from a
tropical evergreen
tree. Allspice when ground releases
aromatic notes reminiscent of
cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Popular allspiced dishes: Pickling,
Stews, Baking

Caraway
Popular caraway dishes: Apple,
Pork, Sausage, Rye Bread, Goulash
Soup

Cayenne
The cayenne pepper, also known as the
Guinea spice, cow-horn pepper, red
hot chili pepper, aleva, bird pepper
or especially in its powdered form,
red pepper, is a cultivar of Capsicum
annuum related to bell peppers,
jalapeños, paprika, and others.
It is named for the city of Cayenne in
French Guiana.
Popular Cayenne dishes: Any food, but
can add lots of heat!!

Chili Powder
Blend of cumin, garlic, onion and red
chili
Popular chili powder dishes: Tex-
Mex, BBQ

Cloves
Clove is an herb. People use the oils,
dried flower buds (for Cooking),
leaves, and stems to make
medicine.
Meats, Stocks, Sauces, Baking , Soup

Coriander /Cilantro Seed
Variety of cooking uses in
savory and baked foods

Cumin
An aromatic spice with a distinctive bitter
flavor and strong, warm aroma due to
its abundant oil content. Cumin
"seeds" are actually the small dried
fruit of an annual plant in the parsley
family
Seeds – used crushed
Popular cumin dishes: Mexican , Arabic
and Indian Food

Ginger
Root of plant
Aromatic, pungent and spicy, ginger
adds a special flavor and zest to
Asian stir fries and many fruit and
vegetable dishes.
Popular ginger dishes: Baking, Asian
Foods

Nutmeg
Seed kernel inside a fruit
Nutmeg is a spice from the nutmeg tree,
which is native to several Indonesian
islands. Both nutmeg and mace come
from the same plant. Nutmeg is the
‘nut’, while mace is the surrounding
lacy ‘aril’. Nutmeg has a warm, spicy
aroma and flavor and can be used in
sweet and savory cooking.
Popular nutmeg dishes: Baking, cheese,
eggs, Béchamel Sauce

Paprika Powder
Finely ground powder from dried paprika
and dried chili
Popular Rosemary dishes: Garnish,
salads, sausage, casseroles, Goulash

Pepper corn
Dried unripe berry
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is
a flowering vine in the
family Piperaceae, cultivated for
its fruit, which is usually dried and
used as a spice and seasoning.
When dried, the fruit is known as a
peppercorn
Popular pepper corn dishes: Most
common – black pepper, used in most
foods

Poppy Seeds
From poppy flower
Baking, Salad Dressing

Saffron
Saffron is the dried yellow stigmas
from a small purple crocus. Each
flower provides only three
stigmas, which must be carefully
hand-picked and then dried,
Most expensive spice in the world
Popular safron dishes Mediterranean
and Asian foods

Sesame Seeds
Found in the pod of a tropical plant
Popular sesame seed sdishes
Baking, Tahini Paste, Asian Fish dishes

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