Spices from the Spice Islands: cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, turmeric, saffron, nutmeg … Even an ordinary dish can give a unique flavor and aroma. What is the uniqueness of spices and how to use them to bring out the whole bouquet?

Beforespiceswere appreciated in the kitchen, they served as medicines, aphrodisiacs, ingredients of sacred oils and incense. It is said that King Solomon owed them his we alth.

Spices - great expeditions of the 15th and 16th centuries

Their goal was to get cinnamon,clovesand nutmeg. On the one hand, the flavor and aroma of spices, and on the other, the preservative and even healing properties made it an extremely valuable commodity, treated on a par with silver and gold.

Looking for a way to the Spice Islands (today Moluccas), Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the globe. Only one ship returned from the expedition, but full of spices, and its captain sealed himself with the coat of arms: 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 nutmegs and 12 cloves. Soon European companies were set up to master most of the spice trade. The illegal export of cloves was punishable by death. The control of nutmeg cultivation led to the fact that the knob that is popular all over the world today was stolen as the greatest treasure. To commemorate those times, there is a monument to the "kidnapper" of spices in the Seychelles.

Today it is difficult to imagine a kitchen without spices. They not only improve the taste of dishes, but also have a beneficial effect on he alth. Although the prices of spices have dropped significantly (the exception issaffron ), their use should not be overstated. An excess of spices can spoil the taste of the most exquisite dish.

Spices: badian (star anise)

This is the dried fruit of an evergreen tree grown in tropical countries. They have the shape of extremely decorative stars (hence the name), a strong anise flavor (stronger than regular anise) and a spicy-sweetish flavor. The spice is sold whole or ground. The beneficial effect of the test on the body is attributed to the pleasant-smelling aviation oil, resins, tannins and sugars contained in the fruit. It has diastolic and diuretic properties and stimulates digestion.

You canuse it for Christmas baking, fruit soups, compotes, especially plum, pear and apple, as well as pork, veal and poultry. Whole stars enhance the flavor of heavily sweetened coffee, tea and grog, while small pieces are added to Indian biryani rice. Star anise goes well with pepper, dill, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Important

Longer power

Spices are damaged by high temperature, light, moisture and air access. Therefore, it is best to store each separately in a tightly closed glass or porcelain container. Granular spices stay strong longer if you keep them unground.

Spices: cloves

These are the dried undeveloped buds of an aromatic tropical tree - clove tree. Cloves have a sweet, fruity, woody fragrance and a spicy, slightly stinging and bitter taste. They improve digestion and relieve symptoms of indigestion, and can also be used as a disinfectant. Sucking whole cloves removes unpleasant odors from the mouth, e.g. garlic. Whole cloves are used to season compotes, mulled wine, punches, fruit and meat sauces and preserved fruit. They are added to marinating venison, pork, lamb, and herring. Together with the onion and kohlrabi leaf, they improve the taste of sauerkraut. Cloves go well with mushroom dishes, broth, and enhance the taste of the ham. The powdered seasoning can be added to patties, pates, stuffing, fish dishes, spaghetti and pizza.

Spices: saffron

Called a cultivated crocus, it resembles a wild crocus. It comes from Asia Minor and India. Today it is grown in many Mediterranean countries. The spice is an orange pistil, which is cut and dried by hand. From 80-100 thousand flowers, only 1 kg of saffron is obtained, so this spice is very expensive. It has a weak aroma and a bitter spicy flavor. Used in small amounts, it strengthens the stomach and speeds up digestion.

In the kitchen it is used in minimal amounts. It goes especially well with rice. You can use it to flavor pure soups as well as lamb, mutton, fish soups, cauliflower soups and broths. It is also used to color bread and cakes. Before adding to the dish, saffron should be dissolved in a little alcohol, warm water or milk.

Spices: nutmeg

The seasoning is the dried gray-brown oval seeds of a tropical tree - mace root, native to Indonesia, and the red shaggy aril that surrounds them, called the mace flower. Although the knob seems very hard, it can be sliced ​​- then you can see itnumerous brown veins containing aromatic oil. The knob is sold whole or powdered, the parchment - usually ground. The knob has a spicy scent and a bitter-sweet taste. The mace is lighter and more spicy than the nutmeg, so you need to use it more carefully. Both the knob and the flower contain a large amount of volatile oil, up to 40% fat, starch, pectin, dyes and myristicin, which has narcotic properties. Therefore, seasoning should be used in moderation. In India, it is added to snuff. In folk medicine, it was used as a medicine for rheumatism, flatulence, and bronchitis.

A freshly grated or ground scoop (flower) is seasoned with creams, puddings, cakes, ice cream, whipped cream, compotes, baked fruit, soups and vegetables (e.g. spinach, carrots, mashed potatoes, cauliflower). Also goes well with fish, veal, poultry, pate, minced meat as well as punch, mulled wine and milk drinks.

Spices: cardamom

Cardamomis a perennial with a thick, branched rhizome, from which grows several leaves to form a kind of stem. It grows wild in the evergreen forests of India and Sri Lanka. The spice is dark brown, small seeds collected, 15-20 each in oval fruits. Cardamom has a sharp, spicy, sweet and stinging taste and a lemon-ginger scent. It increases the secretion of gastric juices and stimulates the appetite.

Cardamom can be used to season gingerbread, marzipan, desserts and fruit salads, sweet sauces and liqueurs. Oranges sprinkled with this spice are perfect. It is suitable for soups, especially pea soups, meat dishes (e.g. beef stew, veal risotto, chicken stew, pâtés) and fish dishes. It gives a fresh flavor to pumpkin, carrots and apple pie. The Scandinavians use cardamom for patties, the Indians use it to season curry and various pastries with it, and the Arabs use it for coffee.

Spices: turmeric

It is a tropical plant from the ginger family. The spice is obtained from the ground and then dried stem and root of the plant. Depending on the origin, it is orange-yellow or bright yellow in color. It is characterized by a delicate spicy flavor and aroma. The curcumin dye contained in it does not dissolve in water, only in fats and alcohol. Turmeric gives food a beautiful yellow color, stimulating the appetite. It has a positive effect on the production of digestive juices and bile. In folk medicine, it is used in diseases of the gallbladder, kidneys and as a remedy for stomach ailments.

It is included in spice mixtures. As a dye, it successfully replaces saffron and is much cheaper than it. Turmeric is used to color hard-boiled eggs, omelettes, sauces (e.g.mustard, fish, curry), rice, pasta, cream soups. It gives a characteristic flavor to broths, poultry, fish and seafood dishes. You can add it to marinades. It is not popular in Poland, so many of us do not know how to dose it - 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon is enough for 4 servings, e.g. scrambled eggs, soup, meat or pasta.

Spices: cinnamon

The spice is obtained from the sun-dried bark of young Ceylon cinnamon shoots (trees still grow wild in Sri Lanka, where the most of the best cinnamon in the world comes from). During drying, the pieces of bark curl on both sides to form a kind of double tubes and acquire a characteristic brown-golden color. Cinnamon has a strong, aromatic scent, spicy, bitter and sweet at the same time. It becomes sharp after grinding. It improves appetite and speeds up digestion.

You can season all sweetened foods with it. It enhances the taste of ham, cutlets, cutlets, poultry stuffing. It is suitable for boiled fish (even a small amount of spices removes the characteristic fishy smell), vegetables, e.g. carrots, pumpkins or zucchini. Pieces of cinnamon can be added to marinades, coffee or grog. It is also included in root mixtures (e.g. for gingerbread). It goes well with pepper, nutmeg and garlic.

Spices: vanilla

Vanilla pods are the fruit of an orchid vine with golden flowers and bright green leaves that grows wild in the forests of Central America. They are dark green in color and do not smell at all when picked. They acquire their aroma only during processing, consisting in their alternating "sweating" and drying for up to 6 months, until they become supple and almost black, with a delicate white, crystalline vanillin coating (proves the best quality spices).

It is bitter, has a sweet and spicy smell. It is one of the most aromatic spices. The chopped stick can be added to dough, pudding, ice cream, milk drinks, compotes, creams. Whole sticks are put into drinks or sauces, then taken out, dried and used 3-4 times. Stored in a jar with powdered sugar, it gives it its characteristic aroma.

Spices: allspice

This is the dried unripe fruit of the spice root - a tree that grows wild in Central America. After drying, they are brown, slightly larger than a peppercorn. They have a pleasant spicy aroma, the taste of cloves, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. Tea from this spice soothes stomach disorders and diarrhea. Allspice facilitates the digestion of fatty foods.

Grains are added to marinades, poultry stews, veal, lamband sauces. Vegetables, fish, fish salads and vegetable soups are also seasoned with herbs. When added in a small amount, the herb improves the flavor of compotes and desserts.

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