LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It’s hard to believe that the stuff of spices – bits of bark, roots, and seeds – inspired war, but they did.
Such flavorings were the source of bloody battles fought hundreds of years ago by Europeans for control of the lands where they grew. Command of this lucrative trade went back and forth over the centuries.
Frank Herbert wrote in his novel Dune, “He who controls the spice controls the universe.” Perhaps he received inspiration from the spice wars of long ago.
One thing is certain – spices infuse passion into the foods we eat, propelling our taste buds into song, both strong and subtle.
In addition to enhancing flavor, numbers of spices are known to have health-boosting properties. For example, studies have shown that cinnamon lowers blood pressure, turmeric fights inflammation, ginger relieves nausea, garlic benefits the heart, and cayenne pepper eases pain.
But what makes an herb an herb and a spice a spice?
It depends on the part of the plant used.
Herbs are the edible leaves or stems of plants, and spices are their dried seeds, pods, buds, roots, fruits or bark.
Online encyclopedia Wikipedia adds the phrase “vegetative substance” to their definition of spice, and truly spices are composed of a wide variety of plant components.
Let’s look at a few examples to prove this point.
Ginger is a rhizome and turmeric a root. Mustard, fennel, caraway, fenugreek and cumin are seeds.
Cloves are dried buds, chili peppers are fruits, and cardamom and star anise are seed pods. Cinnamon is bark, and nutmeg is the kernel of a fruit, with mace being its lacy covering.
Black pepper and pink peppercorns are both dried berries but are not related to each other.
I’m extremely grateful for the people long ago who decided to taste bark, roots, seeds and the like so that the generations of humankind who followed them could eat their meals with blissful flavor.
Some plants bless us with both herbs and spices.
For example, dill weed is an herb since it’s composed of the leaves of the dill plant, while dill seed used in pickling or to flavor some rye bread is a spice.
Cilantro (also known as coriander or Chinese parsley) is another example. When we use the leaves and stems, it’s considered an herb, while whole or ground coriander seeds are a spice.
Some spices, though not many, are known as being “hot” because of chemicals they contain. Capsaicin in chili peppers and piperine in black pepper berries irritate the tissues of our mouth, giving us the burning sensation that we refer to as “hot” or “spicy.”
It’s estimated that spices have been used to enhance foods since about 50,000 B.C., with local spice trading developing as early as 2,000 B.C.
In the Middle East, such trading was centered on cinnamon and pepper, and in East Asia, herbs and pepper. Ancient Egyptians used spices in embalming, and their need for them encouraged broad trade.
During the middle ages in Europe, spices were among the most expensive and sought-after products. While some spices of this era – grains of paradise, spikenard and galangal, for example – have gone out of fashion, others, like black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and cloves, are still in popular use today.
Today our spice shelves are easily stocked. We have a wide variety of herbs and spices at our fingertips, and, with little effort, more exotic spices are available.
In recent months I ordered a berbere spice blend and nigella seeds online, and presto – I have ingredients for Ethiopian dishes.
I love broadening my spice horizons by going to specialty shops that carry little-known flavors from around the world. I get excited learning while I browse.
Sometimes it’s tough not to bring something home.
Past acquisitions include such things as mahlab from Turkey, used to add a sweet-sour, nutty taste to sweet breads and desserts; charnushka from India, tiny black seeds that top rye bread or flavor sausages; and ground Mediterranean sumac berries, popular as a tabletop condiment in that region, which add fruity sourness and a soft red color to foods.
Ground spices deteriorate far more quickly than those in whole form. About six months is the average “flavor life” of a ground spice, while whole spice holds its flavor for up to two years.
Whole spice may be ground just before use in a spice grinder or dedicated coffee grinder. For smaller batches, a fine grater may be used. (My favorite is a rasp-style zester, such as the one made by Microplane.)
An old school method of grinding spices is crushing them via a mortar and pestle. Since this method has come into vogue in recent years, a well-stocked kitchen store will have a few different styles of this ancient implement from which to choose.
Some spices, like nutmeg, don’t lend themselves to grinding whole and will always need to be grated; however, it goes quickly and is easily done.
Toasting whole spices in a dry skillet just before grinding intensifies their flavor and, as an added bonus, makes your kitchen smell absolutely heavenly.
As to storage, keep dried herbs and spices in tightly closed containers in a relatively cool, dark, dry place. Humidity, heat, and light are their flavor enemies.
Spice blends have evolved in different areas of the world depending on what was grown or traded there, giving each region its own unique flavor profile.
In the African counties of Ethiopia and Eritrea, for example, superhot spice blend berbere is used to flavor dishes. It can be a powder or a puree, and is a blend of fenugreek, cardamom, lots of hot cayenne pepper, and an array of optional ingredients. (To tone down the heat, paprika can be substituted for much of the cayenne.)
Ras el hanout is an exotic spice blend from Morocco. It’s sweet and spicy-hot, containing up to as many as 50 flavors, including some rare items not found at the local grocery. Floral notes can come from such ingredients as dried rosebuds and aniseed.
The Indian spice blend we’re most familiar with here is curry, despite the fact that premade curry powder is nonexistent in that country, being an invention of the west.
Instead, Indian cooks make their own blends for each recipe, grinding small batches frequently.
Garam masala, a standard Indian spice blend, is the inspiration for our curry powder; however, it’s made without the yellow color supplied by turmeric and nutty flavor from fenugreek in our versions of the blend.
It’s a somewhat sweet mixture containing coriander, ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Other spices are blended in according to the cook’s taste and whim.
A favorite spice blend of mine is Chinese five spice, which contains star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel and black pepper. It adds a sweet-spicy-savory note to dishes and is featured in today’s recipe, a couscous salad I created some years ago to demonstrate the use of Lake County ingredients at a local event.
The ingredients marry warm winter flavors with fresh elements that are reminiscent of summer.
I hope your new year is full of spice, both literal and figurative!
Easy Minted Couscous Salad with Lake County Pears and Walnuts
1 cup couscous
1 cup apple juice plus ¼ cup water
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice blend
To cook couscous, bring apple juice and water to a boil in a medium pot; add the Chinese Five Spice and blend in. Turn off heat and add couscous. Cover and allow to sit for five minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, prepare the following ingredients for the salad:
½ cup diced dried Lake County pears (use fresh pears if dried are unavailable; sweet apples may also be substituted)
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted Lake County walnuts
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
¼ cup (or more, to taste) finely chopped scallions
Juice of one fresh lemon (Meyer lemons are recommended)
¼ cup Lake County extra virgin olive oil (a light and fruity variety recommended)
Blend non-liquid ingredients with couscous in a large bowl and stir to blend. Squeeze in lemon juice and add olive oil. Stir to blend and taste. Since lemons have varying amounts of acidity, more olive oil many need to be added to round out the lemony taste.
This should make enough salad for a generous side dish for four. Enjoy!
Recipe by Esther Oertel.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown.
The Link LonkJanuary 17, 2021 at 05:54PM
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Mensam Mundum – World Table: Spices – the flavors that make the culinary world go round - Lake County News
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