Spices have been around for thousands of years. They are an indispensable part of our cooking and can make or break a dish depending on how you use them. They vary across the world, essentially bringing with them the bedrock of a country's culinary culture or a region's food heritage.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines spices as aromatic vegetable substances, in the whole, broken, or ground form, whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutrition. Simply put, spices are the dried parts of plants that are used in small quantities to flavour food. Herbs generally come from the leaves of plants, while spices come from the seeds, berries, bark or roots.
Spices can come from many different plant parts: roots (ginger, turmeric), rhizomes, stems, leaves, bark (cinnamon), flowers (saffron), fruits/ berries (black pepper, chilli powder), and seeds (cumin, nutmeg). That's why a wide variety of spices provide a wide range of flavours!
While most people immediately tend to associate spices with ethnic cuisines like Indian food, most of what we know of and use today actually originated from the Middle East, Asia and the Mediterranean.
And don't get confused - spice does not mean spicy. Rather, spicy refers to something that provokes a burning sensation in your mouth while spiced means something that contains spice. Some of the more popular spices include black pepper, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, vanilla, mustard, cacao and turmeric.
A CHEF'S ARSENAL
Bu hikaye Epicure Magazine dergisinin June - July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Epicure Magazine dergisinin June - July 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Raising The Bar (And Beyond)
Precision Japanese techniques and revolutionary cocktail techniques by well established mixologists are employed to create the finest drinks for their guests.
Secrets of the Orchards
Le Chocolat Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton features the finest ingredients sourced from Normandy and other parts of France.
Passion For Hanwoo
Is Korean hanwoo overtaking Japanese wagyu as the best beef in the world? Find out why meat aficionados can't get enough of Korea's star ingredient, and what makes it so good.
Preserving Quality in A Bottle
Master blender Patrick Leger shares about benefits of technology alongside sustainability efforts in the vineyards and distillery today.
Tokyo's Dining Revival
From Michelin-starred establishments to casual chic dining, Tokyo never ceases to amaze with its host of food offerings.
West-bound
An ultra-luxe stay topped with sublime gourmet creations and Western Australian wines await at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth.
Contemplative Experience
Takahashi aims to be an oasis of tranquillity that presents an exceptional fine dining omakase experience in Singapore. Located at 4 Mohamed Sultan Road, this is the first international outpost of Chef Jun Takahashi of Sushi Takahashi in Ginza Tokyo. The restaurant here is helmed by head chef Rinto Sasagawa, Takahashi's dedicated protégé of eight years.
Languorous Sundays at Loloan
Captivating ocean views and sublime culinary offerings make brunches at Loloan Beach Bar and Grill a must on the weekends.
A Taste of History
Discover the unique flavours of Cambodian cuisine as Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor launches multi-course Khmer tasting menus at 1932, its fine dining establishment
Future Proofing
Penfolds senior winemaker, Steph Dutton, shares her views on technology sustainability, future proofing in winemaking, and transferring knowledge to the next generation of winemakers..