SCENTS
Herbs and Spices are beautiful in so many ways - the way they look, the way they taste, and their reputation for creating sensational aromas in the kitchen.
Scents range from faintly aniseed to citrussy and fresh, fiery and potent, musky and pungent, sweet and warm.
Stunning as scents are, they are not worth eating on their own. Scents are one of the three ‘fixtures and fittings’ which take your dishes up another notch (the other two are condiments and alcohol). I call these Go With Foods.
Scents have a short self-life, though spices last longer than herbs. While you may not yet be in Imelda Marcos territory (3,000 pairs of shoes and counting…), you probably have far more herbs and spices than are necessary.
What you want in your Magical Kitchen is an economical number of scents to augment, elevate and infuse your dishes, aligned with the regional cuisine from which they are derived, e.g.
Cooler Northern European
Bay Leaves, Caraway, Chives, Celery, Horseradish, Dill, Mint, Parsley, Herbes de Provence
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, Saffron, Paprika and Vanilla
Warmer Southern European + Middle East
Mint, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Tarragon, Rosemary, Sage and Fennel
Saffron, Coriander, Paprika, Chillies, Vanilla, Sumac, Bharat, Ras-el-Hanout, Za’atar
Temperate North American and warmer South American
Tracks with Southern European herbs
Peppers, Chillies, Vanilla
Indian
A few herbs, mostly Mint
Chillies, Coriander, Turmeric, Cumin, Ginger, Garam Masala, Anise, Cardamom, Saffron, Cloves, Allspice
South and North East Asian
Lemon Grass, Kaffir Lime, Mint, Thai Basil
Chillies, Ginger, Star Anise, Szechuan Peppercorns, Five Spice, Shichimi Togarashi
SCENTS Payoffs
Using scents are a great way to add flavour, colour and fragrance, without adding extra fat, salt and sugar. Seasonings are packed with nutrients and offer great health benefits – and in fact many are used in alternative medicine.
Scents jazz up everyday vegetables and fruits (fresh or frozen) and work well in both dry-heat and moist-heat cooking. Dried herbs and toasted spices add an extra frisson to sides, like cumin seeds over potatoes, or a sprinkle of nutmeg over baked apricots.