Spices and Herbs

The spice of cinnamon

2011-11-19T21:37:00.001-08:00

The cinnamon spice is obtained by drying the central part of the bark and is marketed as quills or powder. The production of cinnamon is mostly limited to the wettest lowland areas of Southeast Asia.

It is widely used aromatic spice obtained from the dried inner bark of trees belonging to several species of Cinnamomum.

Cinnamon is classified in the botanical division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Magnoliates and family Lauraceae.

Cinnamon has sweet, woody fragrance in both ground and stick form. Cooks often used it to flavor baked goods and drinks, but cinnamon also works wonders in stews and sauces.

It is used in pulav, biryani, korma and most of the non-vegetarian dishes. Doughnuts may be passed though sugar and ground cinnamon and slices of apples for fritters may be sprinkled with cinnamon before frying. Cinnamon is used for making garam masala powder.

Cinnamon is also used in savory meat, chicken and lamb dishes. The sweet spicy flavor of cinnamon also enhances the taste of vegetables and fruits.

In western cooking, cinnamon was very popular used primarily to flavor desserts such as stewed fruits or spice cakes and rarely used in spicy dishes.

In Mexico, cinnamon is used to flavor coffee and it is a very important spice to that country.

In Greece, tomato based sauces are comprised of the spice cinnamon as one of the ingredient. The use of cinnamon gives the sauce a distinctively Greek flair.

Cinnamon bark is an agreeable astringent and cordial and as such is used with advantage in dysentery and looseness, proceeding from a weekend and languid state of the bowels, and in indigestion and chronic nervous debility.

In ancient times, because of its flavor and its scarcity, cinnamon was worth as much as fifteen times the value of silver.

The ancient Egyptians used it in embalming mixtures and in medieval Europe it was used in religious rites.Cinnamon was one of the first spices to be sought during the explorations of the ‘new world’ in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The spice of cinnamon

Angelica

2011-10-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Garden angelica or Angelica archangelica is best known as a decorative element in cakes and other confections.

Angelica archangelica is one of the most flamboyant-looking herbs, with long, thick, hollow, pale , celery-like stems supporting huge umbrellas of greenish white flowers above right green, serrated, flat leaves.

Cooks candy angelica and use it to decorate cakes and other desserts. When its thick hollow stems are candied, they turn an attractive vivid green, useful for creating colorful patterns or for making the ‘leaves’ flower designs made of glace fruits.

All parts of the angelica plant are strongly aromatic and edible. The entire angelica herbs is useful. The seeds, and the oil from seeds and roots, contribute to the complex tastes of various cordials and digestive liqueurs.

Whole angelica leaves also impart a refreshing flavor when added to the poaching liquid for a fish or seafood.

The stalk, when balanced, may be eaten like celery or cooked as a vegetable or prepared with sugar and eaten as people eat rhubarb.

Naturopaths use the plant, which is effective in digestive disorders, allergies, heart and circulation problems to strengthen the nerves and for rheumatism.

The consumption of the tea temporarily changes the taste. Angelica calms the nerves and helps in moments of craving.

Angelica does have some antibacterial properties, Native Americans used a Plains species for both internal and external ills.

The herb is also used commercially to flavor alcoholic beverages, including gin, vermouth Benedictine and Chartreuse.
Angelica

German Chamomile

2011-09-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is marketed in Europe to treat several ailments. It has been used for centuries to settle an upset stomach, to soothe aches and pains, and to heal bruises.

Chamomile was recommended by Dioscorides as a cure for fevers as early as 900 BC and was known to the ancient Egyptians who praised it for its ability to cure “ague”.

It was one of the nine sacred herbs of Saxons who used it as a calming remedy and to treat stomach problems.

Chamomile has been used effectively both internally and externally for its anti-inflammatory, anti spasmodic, and antibacterial properties.

Chamomile tea tea is to relieve gastrointestinal spasms, indigestion, peptic ulcers, and menstrual cramps. Drink chamomile tea also liberally to help eases of irritation and nervousness.

To be effective, chamomile tea should be made from the fresh herb. Rinses or gargles are use to tract inflammations and irritations of the mouth, gums and respiratory tract.

The brewed tea also has been used to help those who suffer from insomnia and aiding in stimulating appetite and improving digestion.

The blue oil obtained from chamomile contains numerous terpenoids and flavonoids that provide the anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effects.

The major activity of chamomile is believed to be provided by alpha-bisabolol, which comprises approx 10% to 15% of the essential oil.

Tea can be brewed using dried leaves and flowerheads. Make tea with one teaspoon crushed dried leaves and flowerheads to one cup of boiling water, allow to steep for five minutes. Strain into a cup and serve.

The tea taste bittersweet with a very gentle floral edge, but most of the bitterness disappears in dilution, leaving a wildflower boney aftertaste.
German Chamomile

Peppermint herb

2011-08-24T20:57:00.001-07:00

Peppermint is a hybrid of M. aquatica and M. spicata. It is cultivated in a number of European countries, North Africa and the United States of America.

Peppermint is known technically by its Latin binomial Mentha x piperita where Mentha is the genus for various mint, x refers to a hybrid and piperita refers to that particular species, peppermint.

Peppermint is a favorite for many tea drinkers. The leaves have a strong peppermint flavor. It is one of humanity’s oldest and most loved herbs.

Peppermint’s origin are unknown, but the dried leaves have been found in the pyramids in Egypt, dating from as early as 1000 BC.

Its genus name, Mentha, is derived from Greek mythical nymph Mintha, who metamorphosed in this plant.

It didn’t become popular in Europe until about the eighteenth century. Peppermint is a hybrid of watermint and spearmint that was first cultivated near London in 1750.

Its importance lies in the production of peppermint oil by distillation. The oil is used to flavor sweets, chewing gum, cordials, liqueurs, toothpastes and various pharmaceuticals products.

Traditional herbals uses of peppermint oil include the treatment of dyspepsia, bile duct disorders, bronchial spasm, cholelithiasis, intestinal colic, common cold, cough, cramps, dysmenorrheal, flatulence, inflammation or oral mucosa, influenza and urinary tract infection.

Ancient Arabs believed that peppermint works for better sex.
Peppermint herb

History of Medicine of Anise

2011-07-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

History of Medicine of Anise
Anise has been cultivated in Egypt for over 4000 years. Pharaonic texts show that even then it was used as a digestive herb diuretic and for toothache. The Greek used it too.

Greek Botanist Dioscorides wrote in the first century AD that anise “warms, dries and dissolves” everything from an aching stomach and a sluggish digestion to excessive “winde” and a stinking breath.

In the sixth century BC, Pythagoras, the mathematician and philosopher, apparently spent some time contemplating the use of anise. He believed that simply holding this herb could prevent seizures in epileptics.

One century later, Hippocrates prescribed a more reasonable use for anise. He recommended it for coughs.

Anise is mentioned in the seventh century BC works of Hammurabi the sixth king of Babylon and author of the Code of Hammurabi, one of the first legal treatise in recorded history.

The Pimpinella in anise’s botanical name derives from the Latin dipinella, or “twice pinnate,” in reference to its leaf form, and because of its pungent, licorice sweetness, anise saw broad medicinal application across all cultures it touched, but particularly for respiratory and digestive ailments.

The Roman scholar Pliny stated that anise “removed all bad odors from the mouth, if chewed in the morning,” a use that is still recommended today.

Pliny also believed that the herb helped to maintain a youthful appearance and he may have been the source of the idea that anise could prevent bad dreams of kept near the bed at night.

The Romans widely cultivated anise for its fragrance, flavor and medicinal properties. They mixed the seeds with other savory spices and with meal to make a cake called mustaceum.

The practical; Romans got two benefits from this mustaceum: it was a digestive aid and a flavorful dessert, and anise contributed to both uses. Mustaceum was often served after heavy meals including wedding feasts.

Because of the value of anise, it became one of the species used by the Romans to pay taxes. In England, in 1305, King Edward I did the Romans one better and levied an import tax on the herb itself.

Despite its popularity, it was not cultivated in England until the middle of the sixteenth century.
History of Medicine of Anise

Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

2011-07-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

Anise is a member of the Umbelliferae family along with celery, fennel, dill and carrot as well as coriander, cumin and caraway.

Although these other spice relatives have a licorice flavor to some extent anise provided the stronger, true taste of licorice.

Anise is really small dry fruits, brown, ridged and highly aromatic, they have a sweet, warn taste. Much of their flavor is due to the presence of an essential oil known as anethole, often describe as imparting a licorice flavor.

Anise is frequently confused with sweet anise, but really quite different. Anise is native to Egypt and the Mediterranean region.

Anise is used in Italian sausage, pepperoni, pizza tipping and other processed meat items. It is used in bakery products and is an essential component of Italian anise cake and cookies.

Oil of anise is used in the meat industry in Italian sausage and pizza toppings.
Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

Early Herbs

2011-05-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Of the first known herbal, said to have been written by the legendary Chinese emperor. Shen Nung, nearly 5000 years ago, only part of the text survived long enough to be recorded by subsequent writers though many later Chinese herbals base upon on it.

Shen Nung, was the father of agriculture and herbal medicine. He was given credit for authorship of the first native herbal, the Sheng Nung Pen Ts’ao on the basis of his own experiment.

During Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), physician Tuo Hua collected various herbal formulas for beauty, including powders, ointments and pastes.

Sumerian clay tablets gave us a literature in the form of small clay tablets. Dated from the late fourth millennium BC, they are the earliest known written records about plants in Western civilization.

Other herbal text from early times include Egyptian papyri recording the medicinal uses of herbs, dating from 2800 BC.

The latter mention about marjoram, mint, juniper and other familiar herbs, together with aromatic gums such as frankincense, spices such as cinnamon and cassia and unguents and ointments made by expressing the oil from herbs or by macerating them in fatty oils such as castor oil.

The Egyptians imported herbs and spices along with the knowledge of their use from Babylon and India.

In Egypt the dividing line between medicinal and cosmetic recipes was often blurred and the priests, who generally controlled the manufacture of the substances, were also in-charge of offering of incense and fragrant oils in the temples and the precious ointments that were used for embalming the bodies of the high ranking Egyptians.

Father of modern medicine Hippocrates listed hundred of herbal varieties all taken together to prove and establish the significance , importance and usage of herbs as a means to cure various disease.

In about 500 BC, Herodotus listed about 700 herbs and their uses, many of which remain valid today. In the first century AD, Dioscorides produced a herbal guide, which is still reference on the practice of natural medicines.
Early Herbs

History of Allspice (Pimento dioica)

2011-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Allspice acquired it s name in the early seventeenth century when someone noticed that its flavour and scent resemble of mixture of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon – obviously these three do not encompass all 250 spices in existence, but close enough.

It was used as a seasoning and to embalm the dead in before fifteenth century by Mayas of Latin America.

Allspice is derived from a tall tree native to Latin America and the Caribbean. It was discovered by Columbus in his first voyage, in 1492, undertaken to bring back spices for Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

The Aztecs employed allspice to sweeten and flavour their favored chocolate drink.

The spice was exported to Europe from 1601 onward as a substitute for cardamom.

At the end of nineteenth century, it became fashionable to have umbrellas and walking sticks made of pimento.

It has always been an important spice and condiment and was added to mulled wine and curry, among other dishes.

It has also been used to improve the favor of commercial medicines.
History of Allspice (Pimento dioica)

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

2011-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Chamomile is a generic name that refer to many herbs, it mainly denotes the so called ‘true chamomile’, common chamomile or German chamomile, Matricaria recutita.

Chamomile is famous for soothing all kinds of digestive upsets, especially those related to stress such as nervous indigestion, heartburn and acidity, and for digestive infections such as gastroenteritis.

The plant itself contains a wide variety of essential oil components, flavonoids, sesquiterpene, lactones and coumarins.

Essential oil content was measured as 0.25 percent dry weight of the flowers, with a specific gravity of 0.923.

Chamomile is an annual plant found would along roadside, in fields, and cultivated in gardens. The round, downy, hollow, furrowed stem may be procumbent or rose upright to a height of sixteen inches.

The leaves are fernlike short and pale green. It has daisy-like flowers which appear May through October.

German chamomile can be seeded in either the fall or spring. Planting it in the fall helps because viability is increased when the seeds are subjected to freezing and thawing.

Once established, the German chamomile plant will reseed itself if some flower heads are allowed to remain unharvested.
German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

Essential Oil

2011-02-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

Essential oils are odorous components of plants and plant materials that are the characteristic odors of the materials from, which they are extracted.

By strict definition, essential oils are always a product of steam distillation.

Essential oils are mixtures of hundred components. For example, it has been found that orange oil contains 34 alcohols, 30 esters, 20 aldehydes, 14 ketones, 10 carboxylic acids and 36 varieties of terpenes.

Essential oils are volatile liquid.

Essential oils are found in all distinctly aromatic plants. These constituents can be effected by a vast number of variables including: the parts of the plant from which the oil was produced, soil condition, fertilizer, geographical region, climate, altitude, harvest season and methods and titillation process.

The volatile nature and strong aroma distinguishes essential oil from fatty oils.

Fruit extracts have been used as flavorings, but these are relatively weak when compared to essential oils and oleoresins. An oleoresin is a solvent extract of spices from which the solvent, usually a hydrocarbon, has been removed by distillation.

Among the necessities of today’s world are perfumery products, several of which are based on essential oils and aromatic chemicals, obtained from different plants species. Many of these herbs and essential oil plants have long been the basic ingredients t ancient perfumery and still hold an important place in the modern flavoring field.

Other names for essential oils include “volatile oil”, “etheric oils”, “ethereal oils,” “aromatic oils,” and “essences”.
Essential Oil

The Cloves (Myrtaceae)

2011-02-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

The Cloves (Myrtaceae)
Cloves are the dried, unopened flower buds of Eugenia caryophyllus, an evergreen tree indigenous to a group of a small volcanic islands in the Moluccas, once named the “Spice Islands” by Portuguese and Dutch traders who visited them for cloves, mace and nutmegs.

The trees flourish best near the coast.

The essential oil is a powerful antiseptic as we may recognize from our visit to the dentist where it is used as the basis for a powerful mouthwash.

The oil is also numbing and used on the gums for toothache as a home cure. So we have to be delicate when we are using cloves in cooking because the smallest amount can be overpowering.

The flavour of cloves is strong, sweet, hot and very distinctive. Cloves are used with discretion in some spices mixtures as they tend to swamp delicate flavours.

They are used in Indonesia in a mixture of 1:2 with tobacco in then production of clove cigarettes, called kretek, which is a major industry.

In India, cloves are used in the preparation of the betel nut quid; it is customary in Asia to chew a clove to sweeten the breath.
The Cloves (Myrtaceae)

History of Anise

2011-01-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

History of Anise
Anise is a native to the eastern Mediterranean areas as well as western Asia and North Africa, where it still grows wild as a wayside weed.

Because it is so short lived, it often appears in spring and again in late summer, drawing bees and butterflies to it in droves its sweet liquorices fragrance.

Astonishingly, anise has been cultivated in Egypt for over 4000 years. Pharaonic texts show that even then it was used as a digestive herb diuretic and for toothache. The Greek used it too.

In the sixth century BC, Pythagoras, the mathematician and philosopher, apparently spent some time contemplating the use of anise. He believed that simply holding this herb could prevent seizures in epileptics.

One century later, Hippocrates prescribed a more reasonable use for anise. He recommended it for coughs.

The Roman scholar Pliny stated that anise “removed all bad odors from the mouth, if chewed in the morning,” a use that is still recommended today.

Pliny also believed that the herb helped to maintain a youthful appearance and he may have been the source of the idea that anise could prevent bad dreams of kept near the bed at night.

The Romans widely cultivated anise for its fragrance, flavor and medicinal properties. They mixed the seeds with other savory spices and with meal to make a cake called mustaceum.

The practical; Romans got two benefits from this mustaceum: it was a digestive aid and a flavorful dessert, and anise contributed to both uses. Mustaceum was often served after heavy meals including wedding feasts.

Because of the value of anise, it became one of the species used by the Romans to pay taxes. In England, in 1305, King Edward I did the Romans one better and levied an import tax on the herb itself.

Despite its popularity, it was not cultivated in England until the middle of the sixteenth century.
History of Anise

Ginger

2010-11-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Ginger
Fresh ginger can be bought almost everywhere in the shop, it should feel form and look healthy, with its suave, suede-textured skin.

Buy a little at a time so that it does not go stale in storage. In fact, ginger freezes very well and can be grated from frozen with great case.

For most dishes, it is peeled and then is either chopped or sliced thinly, or put in the blender along with other ingredients for a paste.

Vary amount of ginger to suit your own taste. If you only want a hint of it to flavour the food, cut it in two or three large pieces which can be found and removed before the dish is served.

Dried and pickled ginger are also good for cooking, but avoid the powdered variety which loses what little flavour it has very rapidly.

Ginger helps the digestion by reducing flatulence and promoting that pleasant feeling of relaxed well-being that the stomach expects after a good meal. It is also said to stimulate the circulation.

To make ginger juice: peel a good sized piece of ginger, and put it into a blender with 1 tablespoon of warm water, then pass it through a fine sieve. It may then be frozen in ice cube trays.

Small amounts of ginger juice can be obtained quickly by crushing chunks of ginger in a garlic press.
Ginger

History Of Turmeric

2010-11-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

History Of Turmeric
The earliest reference about turmeric can be seen in Atharvaveda (6000 BC) in which turmeric is prescribed to charm away jaundice. It was also prescribe in the treatment of leprosy.

Reference to turmeric has also been made in Yajnavalkyasamhita (4000 BC) at the time of the epic Ramayana.

Turmeric was listed as a coloring plant in an Assyrian herbal dating about 2600 BC.

Marco Polo, in 1280 AD, mentioned turmeric as growing in the Fukien region of China.

Evidence indicate that turmeric was under cultivation India from ancient times, but whether the turmeric that they used was C. longa or some other species having yellow rhizome, is not known.

In 1879, Fluckiger and Hanbury wrote “several varieties of turmeric distinguished by the name of the countries or districts in which they are produced are found in the English market; although they represent differences that are sufficiently appreciable to the eye of the experience dealer, the characters of each sort are scarcely so marked or so constant as to be recognizable by mere verbal descriptions.”

In 1964 one writer states that “the distribution and uses of turmeric in domestic sites outside India, especially in Celebes, the Moluccas and Polynesia indicates their antiquity and suggests an early cultural connection between the people of these areas and the indigenous pre-Aryan cultivators of India....the indigenous use of turmeric in magical rites intended to produce fertility then became an important part of the established Hindu ceremony and as such was taken to the Hinduized Kingdoms of Southeast Asia.”

The used of Turmeric by Betsiko people of the Malagasy Republic suggests that the introduction was of Malayo-Polynesia origin.

There is a suggestion that turmeric reached East Africa in the eight century and West Africa in the 13th century: it is used in the latter area only as a dye. It was introduced into Jamaica by Edwards in 1783, where it has become naturalized.

It seems that the true turmeric (C. longa) came to India from the ancient regions of Cochin China or China either though the movement of the ancient tribal people during their migration to the Northeast region of India, or through the Buddhist monks and ancient travelers who reached India during the post-Buddha era.

To the ancient turmeric was not a spice but was a dye and a remedy for many ailments.

The travelers might have been carrying turmeric rhizomes as a remedy for two of the most common ailments that they were usually subjected to – wounds and stomach troubles.

It possibly might have been introduced into cooking for preservation food products and subsequently used to impart color to the dishes.
History Of Turmeric

History of Brassica campestris

2010-11-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

History of Brassica campestris
Commonly known as field mustard or turnip mustard. The wild type is a slender-rooted, branching annual native to temperate Eurasia. It was probably a minor member of the pioneer flora of naturally open habitat that became enormously more abundant as a Neolithic weed of wheat and other crops.

The most primitive cultivars appear to be the rapes, i.e., those brown primarily as oilseed crops. Sanskrit records of sarson, a variety of B. campestris, show that it has been an important oilseed crop in India since at least 1500 BC.

Sarson and other varieties of B. campestris are still very commonly grown as oilseeds in the subcontinent.

Related varieties may have been equally ancient crops in southwestern Asia in pre-classical times, but they did not invade the domain of the olive in the Mediterranean.

The Roman encountered B. campestris as a crop of the barbarians in Gaul, not as rapeseed but as the turnip.

There are old Germanic, Slavic and Celtic, names for the turnip, and it evidently was selected as a root vegetable in northern Europe in antiquity.

Rape as an oilseed crop finally arrive in northern Europe from the eats in the late Middle Ages, but for centuries, it renamed a very minor crop.

Turnips, for both table vegetables and livestock fodder became increasingly important in northern Europe between the 15th an 18th centuries, largely because of development of new varieties.

One these is the stubble turnip, selected for very rapid growth in the autumn after the grain crop, usually rye, has been harvested.
History of Brassica campestris

Black Mustard – Brassica nigra

2010-09-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Black Mustard – Brassica nigra
B, nigra is the native to the Mediterranean region, where it is reported as a fossil from prehuman Pleistocene time.

The species probably joined Neolithic agriculture as a volunteer in wheat and barley fields, spreading with those crops through Eurasia and North Africa.

Millennia later B, nigra went with those crops overseas its seeds often carried accidentally with the cereal grain.

In California, for example, it was a weed during the Spanish period, and its remains are common in adobe in the early missions.

Use of mustard seed as a spice dates from beginning of written history in Babylonia and India and is abundantly recorded in classical Greek, Roman, and biblical sources.

Although other species of Brassica were also used, it seems likely that B. nigra was the main source in ancient history as it has been in modern history.

Traditionally, mustard is prepared by mixing a small amount of seed of white mustard Sinapsis alba, other spices, and a lot of B. nigra seed.

In ancient times, volunteer were probably more than adequate without deliberate planting,. Cultivation of B. nigra as a field crop came after Medieval times, along with commercial production in Düsseldorf, Dijon, and a few other European towns.

Cultivated B. nigra retained the wild and weed type of dehiscent fruit, which scattered the seeds as they ripened.

Much weed always escaped harvest to contribute volunteer plants to the next crop. The only way to obtain a good yield was repeated hand harvesting of ripening fruit.

During the 1950s, growers suddenly abandoned the old B. nigra for indehiscent cultivars of B. juncea, which could be machine harvested.
Black Mustard – Brassica nigra

Ajwain Seeds

2010-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ajwain Seeds
Scientific name for ajwain seed is Carum copticum. Its common name is wild celery seeds, a member of parsley family and used as a spice. It is also known as Bishop’s weed.

The taste is that of caraway but stronger tasting bitingly hot and bitter leaving tongue numb for a while.

They have strong and distinctive thyme-like fragrance.

These tiny seeds are produced by a herb related to cumin, caraway, parley and dill. They have a similar fragrance to cumin with a more intense and assertive flavor that resembles thyme with liquorice overtones.

Used whole to flavor breads lentils and pulses in northern Indian cooking, ajwain aids digestion and has antiseptic properties (it is used in poultices and the manufacturing of toothpaste).

Ajwain seeds contain a volatile oil that is rich in cymene, terpene, thymine and steroptin. There is 25 to 35 per cent fixed oil Thymol is the chief constituent or ajwain seeds.

Medicinal uses
*Ajwain is popular mainly for stimulating digestion and correcting digestive disorder.
*It is often used in respiratory troubles and a variety of allergies.
*It can reduce the desire for alcohol and opium by inhaled carefully thrice daily for a month or two.
*It acts as an excellent nerve tonic.
*Ajwain acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Originating in the Middle East, ajwain seeds are widely grown throughout India, Iran, Egypt and Afghanistan.
Ajwain Seeds

Medicinal uses of Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

2010-07-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

Medicinal uses of Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
Anise is a native to the eastern Mediterranean areas as well as western Asia and North Africa, where it still grows wild as a wayside weed.

Because it is so short lived, it often appears in spring and again in late summer, drawing bees and butterflies to it in droves its sweet liquorices fragrance.

Astonishingly, anise has been cultivated in Egypt for over 4000 years. Pharaonic texts show that even then it was used as a digestive herb diuretic and for toothache. The Greek used it too.

Anise tea is beneficial in treating frigidity and impotence and for the easing of the menstrual cycle. The ancient Greeks used aniseeds and fresh flowers for pain relief and recorded that aniseed warms, dries, dissolves, facilities breathing, provokes urine, eases thirst and relieves pain- and modern research verifies this.

Make a tea of 2 teaspoons of aniseeds, pour over this 1 cup of boiling water leave it to stand for four to five minutes, give it a good stir, then either strain and sip slowly, or chew the seeds well with the tea - they are delicious.

Alternatively, make tea of fresh leaves and flowers by steeping ¼ of the leaves and flowers in 1 cup of boiling water for three to four minutes.

Strain, sweeten with a touch of honey, if liked and sip slowly.

The cooled tea made of either the fresh flowers and leaves or the seeds, can also be strained and used as a lotion or wash for oily skin, enlarged pores and acne and in spray bottle misted over the face will help to freshen, brighten and remove oiliness and redness, and to give an instant moisturizing effect to a lot flushed face.

Anise mint tea is very good for throat. Use I teaspoon dried anise mint tea for cup of boiling water. Let steep 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten. Drinks warm as possible, repeat as often as desired.

It is also excellent for a child writing exams, especially with a sprig of pepper mint in the tea to boost concentration and promote clear thinking,

Anise flowers in the diet and a tea of the seeds also helps breast milk production and reduces acidity so it really should be used far more than it is.
Medicinal uses of Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

How to freshen your cooking

2010-06-28T05:05:00.000-07:00

How to freshen your cooking
Replacing the dried herbs called for in a recipe with fresh leaves of the same herbs will usually improve the flavor of your dish, but you will need to use larger quantity of fresh herbs.

The usual ratio of fresh herbs to dried ones is three to one; which means, for example, that one tablespoon of chopped fresh herb is approximately the same strength as one tablespoon of the same herb in dried form.

But there are exceptions to this rule of thumb: for example a mere half teaspoon of dried basil is equivalent to one tablespoon of fresh, while one and one half teaspoon of dried dill are needed to match a tablespoon of the fresh leaves in flavoring power.

Thus, to freshen a recipe calling for a teaspoon of dried basil, use two tablespoons of the fresh herb; and of a recipe is content with a teaspoon of dried dill, then only two tablespoons of fresh dill will substitute for it.

As much as possible, alter the recipe to add fresh herbs near the end of the cooking process, which helps them conserve their essential oils. Dried herbs, on the other hand, need to go into a dish early enough to soak up its liquid and rehydrate.

In the case of bay leaves, there is really nothing to be gained in replacing a dried bay leaf with afresh one, since these leaves retain their flavor very well when dried and in fact, leaves that have dried just to the point of being brittle are actually preferred.

And fresh mint should not be substitutes for dried mint, as the two have rather different flavors.

Similarly, fresh and dried ginger are like two separate seasonings and neither can be used in place of the other.

Using whole species instead of commercially ground powders also has an amazing freshening effect. Measure out the same amounts of freshly ground spices as called for in the recipe.
How to freshen your cooking

Alfalfa

2010-05-22T22:47:00.001-07:00

Alfalfa
Botanically name Medicago sativa. Specific Uses: Stomach and blood; benefits bladder and prostate; helps in chemical imbalance; rich in trace minerals lacking in the average American diet; cleans blood in toxemia in pregnancy; neutralize uric acid for arthritis, bursitis, etc.

Useful to prevent cholesterol accumulation in the veins; cleans builds and strengthens the body; saponin properties clean deep in the cells and bind serum/cholesterol, radioactive deposits and toxins in the system for elimination; eight digestive enzymes in alfalfa provide better digestion and assimilation.

Alkaloid in the leaves strengthens the central nervous system; rebuilds decayed pain; beneficial effect on pituitary gland; relieves pain and inflammation.

Alfalfa rich in chlorophyll, protein, vitamin A, E, K, D, B6 and U. Also rich in calcium and trace minerals.

Contains high amounts of phosphorus, iron, potassium,, chlorine, sodium, silicon, magnesium B1, B2, and B12. Has 8 the essential amino acids.
Alfalfa

Allspice (Pimenta dioica L.)

2010-04-28T07:38:00.001-07:00

Allspice (Pimenta dioica L.)
Allspice is a round berry about 1 cm in diameter it is brown to reddish brown and is slightly rough to the touch due to the presence of many raised oil glands.

All spice berries grow in a shiny leaved evergreen tree of the myrtle indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.

The spice itself is the dried, mature, unripe fruit of the tree. Early Spanish explorers discovered allspice an called it pimiento (pepper in Spanish) because of its resemblance to black peppercorns.

This name evolved into pimento . About 80% of the allspice imported into the United States is grown in the Western Hemisphere mainly in the Caribbean and Central America.

The name allspice is derived from its sensory description: warn, sweet and reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.

The Mayan Indians of Central America used allspice to embalm and preserve bodies. Allspice was much more popular in the early 20th century that it is today.

During this time, Europeans used allspice for meat preservation and baking in large amounts.

World War II caused a shortage of the spice in Europe and the popularity never regained what it once had been.
Allspice (Pimenta dioica L.)

Early Herbal II

2010-03-06T23:33:00.001-08:00

Early Herbal II
(continue from Early Herbal I)
The Phoenician were still trading in the Mediterranean during the great period of Greek culture, and supplied the city states with spices and aromatics the long lifetime of the famous Greek doctor, Hippocrates, whose scientific writings and practical work ridiculed the supernatural aspect of primitive medicine.

His straight forward, modest books emphasized the importance of diet and hygiene; he included about about 400 simple herbal remedies and was also the first to set out the theory that disease is caused by an imbalance between the four bodily humors.

The century after Hippocrates, Theophrastus, a pupil of both Plato and Aristotle, wrote his Enquiry into Plants, a study of the structure of plants and the first attempt at plant classification.

But although some important theories arose form this ‘Aristotelian’ botany it was in those treatises written from a medical rather than from a botanical view point that really practical advances were made towards the identification of herbs and their properties.

Of these, the most important was the medical treatise De Materia Medica, written during the 1st century AD by a Greek physician living in Rome.

A copy of manuscript was illustrated in about AD 512 with naturalistic watercolor drawings, and the complete work provided the basis for herbal writing, illustration and medical theory for at least 1,600 years.

A contemporary of Dioscorides was Pliny the Elder, a Roman civil servant whose Natural History included several volumes in medical botany.

Although his scientific observations were heavily larded with superstition, the sheer size of the work has made it a valuable source of reference for herbal writers.
Early Herbal II

Looking after spices

2010-02-22T06:52:00.000-08:00

Looking after spices
Whole spices retain their aroma and potency much longer ground spices, so it is advisable to purchase them whole.

Ground powder often give no indication of age or taste until it is too late.

If a spice smells faint or musty, discard it immediately and buy a fresh amount otherwise you will end up with a dusty weak taste in your cooking.

Purchase spices in small quantities for freshness and replace them as you use them.

All spices are more aromatic when crushed or ground. To capture their fragrant and full flavor, it is best to crush or grind them as you need to use them.

You can grind spices by hand with a mortar and pestle, or use an electric spice mill. When making pastes where species and aromatics are blended together use a food processer or an electric blender.

When blending spices, it is extremely important that all the spices combine harmoniously. The blend should give a fullness of palate when tasted.

Some spices are extremely pungent and over powering and should be used with caution so as not to upset the delicate balance created with blending.

Spices can be difficult to digest in raw form, which is why they are often dry roasted, fried or cooked before eating.

To maximize their flavour spices need to be either incorporated into the cooking of a dish or , if added at the end or to an uncooked dish, dry roasted.

Dry roasting is the practice whereby spices are placed in a pan over extremely gentle heat are roasted until they begin to change color and smell fragrant.
Looking after spices

Measuring Herbs

2010-02-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Measuring Herbs
Measure herbs after you have chopped them. Do not pack the chopped leaves in the measuring spoons, just press them down lightly.

Remember never to dip a damp measuring spoon into a jar of dried herbs or ground spice.

The moist seasoning will clump together, and is at risk for mold.

For the same reason, shaking an herb or spice out of the bottle over a steaming pot is to be avoided – even if the manufacturer has put a shaker top on the bottle.

Shaking results in wildly imprecise measurements, and sometimes the seasoning comes out much faster than anticipated.

It’s better to remove the shaker top and pour the desired amount of seasoning into palm of your hand first.

If dealing with a dried herb, crush the leaves slightly between your hands or with your fingertips as you added them to the pot.

Use the flat back of a knife blade to level off the spices in a measuring spoon for exact measurement, or “level spoonful.”

A “heaping spoonful” is as much as the utensil will hold; a “rounded spoonful” is somewhere between heaping and level quantities.

For a “scant spoonful,” the spoon is not quite full.

A “pinch” of spice is officially defined as one-eight teaspoonful, but the term does not imply that kind of accuracy; what you grab between your thumb and index finger is just about right.
Measuring Herbs

Early Herbal I

2010-01-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Early Herbal
Of the first known herbal said to have been written by the legendary Chinese emperor.

Shen Nung, nearly 5,000 years ago, only part of the next survived long enough to be recorded by subsequent writers though many later Chinese herbals were based upon it.

Other herbal texts from early times include a list of a thousand plants inscribed in tablets in Sumeria in about 2200 BC, and Egyptian papyri recording the medicinal uses of herbs dating from 2800 BC.

The latter mention marjoram, mint, jumper and other familiar herbs, together with aromatic gums such as frankincense, spices such as cinnamon and cassia and unguents and ointments made by expressing the oil from herbs or by macerating them in fatty oils such as castor oil.

In Egypt the dividing line between medicinal and cosmetic recipes was often blurred and the priests, who generally controlled the manufacture of these substances, were also in charge o the offerings of incense and fragrant oils in the temples, and the precious ointments that were for embalming the bodies of high ranking Egyptians.

Spices and aromatics were imported into Egypt in quantity from about 2000 BC, carried from southern Arabia and the East to trading posts established on the eastern borders of the Mediterranean and taken from there by camel and mule, to Egypt.

The seafaring Phoenician also took on cargoes from these ports and sailed with them to Spain and north up the Atlantic coast, trading spices and cloth for tin and salt.
Early Herbal

Toasting Spices

2010-01-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Toasting Spices
Many toasting whole spices and seeds will generously repay a light toasting just before they are used.

Simply place them is a single layer in a dry skillet and heat them over medium high heat, shaking the pan or moving the spice around with a wooden spoon until you get the first whiff of their wonderful fragrances.

Remove them from the pan quickly so they do not burn. When they have cooled, grind them in a mortar or a spice mill.

It is best to toast different spices separately, because they may require different toasting times; however, they can all be ground together.

Saffron threads should also be toasted before they are pulverized and added to the dry ingredients of a dish, or steeped in a warm liquid.

Because these delicate stigmas and styles can burn sop easily, it is safest just to put them on a ovenproof saucer set over a small pan of billing water until they are crisp.

They can be crushed easily in a mortar or with the back of a spoon; if your recipe is for a sweet, you can add one-fourth teaspoon or sugar, whose granules help cut up the threads as you crush them.

Add a little salt for the same purpose of you making a savory dish.
Toasting Spices

Coriander

2009-12-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

Coriander
Coriander is the dried fruit of an annual belonging to the Parsley family, which is native to the Mediterranean region.

This spice is cultivated principally in northern Africa, Rumania, parts of the Soviet Union and the United States.

Coriander has an aromatic pungent taste and a very distinctive odor. It is available whole or ground.

The whole seed is used in pickling species, while the ground spice is is a component of curry powder and a flavoring for pastries, buns, cookies and processed meats.

The dried fruit contains 0.1 – 1% of volatile oil. The chief flavor constituent is D-linalool, an isomer of geraniol.
Coriander

Special Herbs for Women

2009-11-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Special Herbs for Women
Some women may use herbal teas during pregnancy to get away from caffeine-containing beverages.

However, because of the potentially embryotoxic, teratogenic and abortifacient effects of some herbal teas, pregnant women are advised to exercise moderation in their use of herbal beverages.

Before using any herbal tea, a pregnant woman should first consult with her physician.

Leonurus cardiaca L
A tea made from the above ground parts of motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca L.), a member of the mint family, has been used to treat amenorrhea and irregular menstruation and to stimulate uterine activity.

Motherwort contains the alkaloids stachydrine and leonurine, as well as flavonoids, iridoids, tannins and terpenoids.

Extracts of motherwort have shown antispasmodic, cardiotonic , hypotensive and sedative properties.

Motherwort is not recommended during pregnancy.

Capsella bursa-pastoris
Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is a member of the mustard family and grows as a weed in backyards, farmlands and roadside nationwide.

Its name derives from the purse shape of the seedpots of the plant.

The above ground parts can be prepared into capsules, tablets or a tea.

The plant has been historically used for its antihemorrhagic action. It is used in Europe for the symptomatic treatment of nosebleeds and mild menorrhagia and metrorrhagia.

Vitex agnus castus
The fruit of the chaste tree (Vitex agnus castus) has been used for centuries for menstrual difficulties.

In one study, 93% of patients treated with vitex experienced alleviation or elimination of PMS symptoms. Such as breast tenderness, bloating, irritability, headache, anger and depression.

Rubus idaeus
Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is commonly used by women to shorten labor and facilitate an easier childbirth.

Red raspberry contains a compound that produces more regular uterine contraction; hence raspberry is widely use as a childbirth aid.

Australia study found raspberry leaves safe and effective for shortening the second stage of labor.

The study also indicated that women ingesting raspberry leaves might be less likely to experience premature rupture of their membranes or require a Caesarean section, forceps or vacuum birth that the control group.

Red raspberry is also used as a mouthwash and gargle for sore throats due to its astringent properties.
Special Herbs for Women

Wild Marjoram

2009-10-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Wild Marjoram
So-called “wild marjoram” is really origanum vulgare which grows freely in temperate regions and is also cultivated all over the world.

Most commercial crops and essential oil distilled from them originate in those countries bordering the Mediterranean and in Mexico.

What is known in commerce as “oil of Wild Marjoram” is usually obtained from Thymus masticina, L. and herb which grow in the foothills of Seville and Almeira in Spain.

This plant is usually harvested when in full bloom during June/ August and distilled in field stills to give about 0.2% of a brownish essential oil.

Two types of oil of wild marjoram are recognized – the thymol-type and the carvacrol type, depending on the constituent phenols present.

The botanical name, origanum, means “Joy of the Mountain”, and cannot imagine a more appropriate name for this fragrant plant.

Herbalist told that to smell wild marjoram frequently keeps the person in good health.

The ancient Greeks believed that of marjoram grew on a tomb the dead person was happy; “may many flower grow on this tomb, and marjoram and the narcissus growing in water and around Thee may all Roses grow,” was an old prayer.
Wild Marjoram

The Element of Spices

2009-09-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Element of Spices
For spices to achieve their full potential n cooking, it is of paramount importance to be aware of the practicalities of their proper management and use.

The first tentative steps into the wonderful seductive world of spice will involve becoming familiar with specifics of taste and smell, and how each spice worlds in the alchemy and art of cooking.

This familiarization is not difficult. It is best approached with a passionate heart and an inquiring mind. Discover the unlimited and exciting world that awaits people plate - learn what spices are and where they come from, how to store them how to deal with them, the specific techniques involved in their preparation and the sort of equipment need to have on hand.

Spices are best described as the dried parts of aromatic plants whose qualities are perceived through our sense of smell and taste.

They have been used throughout history for their flavoring and medicinal properties.

Spices have a profound effect on health, affecting many function processes in the body. Because they act as antioxidants they are essential in the preservation of food.
The Element of Spices

Chopping Herbs

2009-09-09T02:37:00.000-07:00

Chopping Herbs
Whether they come from the supermarket or the garden, herbs should be rinsed well before using. Discards the tough stems, along with any wilted or discolored leaves.

Blot them with towel and let them air dry for a few minutes; herbs need to be thoroughly dry before they are chopped.

A salad spinner can be used to speed the drying process.

Not every herb takes well to chopping; some are too small or too fine to attack with knife. When using only a few basil or coriander leaves, it is best to tear them into pieces with your fingers.

Most varieties of thyme, marjoram or oregano have tiny leaves that can be simply stripped from their stems onto the pot.

Chives are never chopped, but are snipped with scissors or sliced across into pretty little rings.

Serving a dish with a sprig of fresh rosemary is often more effective than chopping the leaves up and adding them to the food; the scent of the leaves will influence the flavor quite sufficiently and tough rosemary leaves are not pleasant to chew.

In contrast, parsley – both the curly and flat leaf varieties – can be chopped as fine as you like and in some circumstances can even be subjected to the food processor.

Note that a food processor and handheld knife produce different results.

The processor tends to make the parsley wetter and a little mushy, especially when you are using the flat leaf variety.

Sometimes this is perfectly acceptable, but it is not recommend.

A pleasing, regular effect is obtained by making a chiffonade of herbs – that is finely cut ribbons.

This is an attractive way of serving quantities of herbs that have larger leaves such as basil, Cuba oregano, perilla and some mints.

The resulting leafy heap serves as an automatic bed for meats and other foods, or as a garnish and also as a tasty ingredient in stuffing or in stir-fried dishes.

A very fine chiffonade can be used in soups or salad dressing.
Chopping Herbs

Thyme

2009-08-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

Thyme
The rubbed thyme herb of commerce is derived from the flowering tops of two species of thyme which grow wild on the vast heathlands of southeast Spain, along the coats of the Mediterranean and on the source slopes of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

The entire herb is harvested when the flowers are fully open during July and August, the cut herb being distilled in field stills to give 0.6 to 1.0% of a yellowish-red essential oil.

The oil color of the oil may darken considerably due to iron contamination from the stills.

Odor: rich, sweet, pleasingly aromatic. Initially warming then cooling with a slight anesthetic effect.

Flavor: sweet, phenolic, medicinal sharp, biting.

History
Several explanations exist concerning the origin of the name ‘Thymus’. Some authors assume that the Latin name Thymus comes from the Greek word thyo (perfume).

Another interpretation of its etymology considers the Greek word thymos (sources, strength).

Originally ‘thymus’ described a group of aromatic plants with similar aspects which were used as stimulants of vital functions.

Many popular names in the Romance languages are derived from the Latin name.

In his work about medicinal plants and poisons, Dioscorides writes about ‘Thymo’. Laguna however did not find ether any Thymus species but a plant corresponding to the genus Satureja.
It is presented as an erect plant, whereas the former shows a creeping habit.

In his Natural History, Plinio reports on T. vulgari as follows: ‘in the Narbonne province, the stony fields are full of thyme and thousands of sheep come from very far provinces to feed on it’.

Later page he speaks about two different varieties of thyme, a white and a black one, and he comments on their therapeutic attributes.

Uses
Thyme takes its place in herbal medicine with other old fashioned “simples,” like sage and lavender, as a treatment for a variety of ailments.

You may have noticed its flavor in cough medicines. It has also serves as a carminative, vermifuge, rubefacient and antiseptic.

Thyme is particularly beneficial in quieting gastrointestinal complaints and it was boiled in wine for a digestive drink.

A tea has been prescribed for shortness of breath and congested lungs.

The Greek used thyme for nervous conditions, as an antiseptic, and as a fumigator.

Apparently, the herb has antispasmodic qualities that make it effective in relieving asthma, whooping cough and stomach cramps.

In culinary, Thyme tastes delicately green with a faint clove aftertaste. It ranks as one of the fines herbes of French cuisine.

Leaves and sprigs are used in salads as garnishes and most famously in clam chowder, bouquets garnis and French, Creole and Cajun cuisines.

Thyme work well with veal, lamb, beef, poultry, fish, poultry stuffing, pates, sausages, stew, soups, stocks, bread, herbed butter, herbed mayonnaise, flavored vinegars, mustard and bean and lentil casseroles.
Thyme

Spice in World of Cooking

2009-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Spice in World of Cooking
Food is synonymous with particular places, and certain foods cause immediate recognition of where they come from and how they determine social behavior.

When we think “China,” we might think “dim sum,” similarly, we might think tandoori in India, bouillabaisse in France, couscous in Morocco, a bowl of pho in Vietnam, a satay in Bali, tom yum in Thailand, sushi in Japan and pasta in Italy.

Cuisine is just as much a medium for expressing culture as is art, literature, newspaper, television, architecture or urban design.

It is optimistic enough to think that this symbolism may change in the future.

Food and culture reflect out quality of life to the point where, every country posses, it seems, the sort of cuisine it deserves which is to say the sort of cuisine it is appreciate enough to want.

Until recent times, Australian cooking in general has had very little to do with spices.

In the formative years of white settlement in this country, diet and eating habits were entirely inappropriate to resource, climate and lifestyle.

Our forebears preached austerity, blandness and economical practically at the expense of indulgence and taste.

Reference books and cooking manuals used in Australia in the latter part of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century reveal that household storerooms stocked what we could call today a basic spice collection – a mere twelve or so spices, among them nutmeg, cinnamon, caraway and black pepper.

In contrast, the array we can now access and utilize is dazzling an encouraging sign of gastronomic and epicurean maturity and confidence.

Many fine chefs, cooks and writers in Australia have major contributions over the past couple of decades of changing the perception of Australian cuisine as just shrimp on the Barbie and meat pies.
Spice in World of Cooking

Cloves

2009-07-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Cloves
Cloves are the dried flower buds of Eugenia caryophylata, an evergreen tree of the Myrtle family.

It is indigenous to the Moluccas or Spices Islands but is cultivated in many of the East Indian Islands, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pemba, Penang (Malaysia), India, and Ceylon.

When the green buds change to a reddish color, they are removed from the three and dried.

The dried flower buds must be handled with care. They range from ¼ to ½ in. in length and are reddish brown.

Cloves are characterized by theirs strong, pungent flavor. The spice is available either whole or ground and is used as a flavoring for hams, roasts, stews, pickled fruits, preserves, desserts, cakes, puddles and spice sweet syrups.

Ground cloves contain tissue cells found in flower buds and broad base fibers, but starch grains are absent.

Cloves contain 12-21% of volatile oil; the principal flavor constituents are eugenol (70-80%) caryophyllene, vanillin and small amounts of several other substances.

Adulterants include exhausted cloves, clove stems, allspice, nutshells and cereals.
Cloves

Cichorium intybus

2009-06-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Cichorium intybus
The chicory in botanically called as Cichorium intybus and belongs to the composite family. It is close related to endive and is sometimes called French endive.

It is very rich source of vitamins A, B, C and G. It also contains minerals.

Its drinks as coffee are stimulant and invigorating. It increases stamina and vigor, vitality and strength.

Chicory has fallen on hard times. It’s another roadside herb these days at best a coffee flavoring.
But for thousands of years, these plants have been cultivated and almost all the great sages of Western medicine have used them in one remedy or another.

It was both a humble home remedy and a drug of choice for royalty.

Queen Elizabeth 1 of England took chicory broth. But chicory may be taking its revenge.

According to Pliny (AD) 23-79), chicory juice was mixed with rose oil and vinegar as a remedy for headache.

Currently, its main application is as a mild bitter tonic for liver and digestive tract as a mild laxative and for cleansing the urinary tract.

One of the commissions in German recognized the herbs efficacy in the following areas
Loss of appetite
Dyspeptic complaints
Liver and gallbladder complaints

Wherever deep fried of fatty meals are consumed, a cup or two of chicory root beer is recommended.

A cup of cold root brew is given for settling an upset stomach or correcting acid indigestion and heartburn.

In culinary chicory’s flavor is strong and green and similar to dandelion. The leaves are used fresh or cooked like spinach, and the root is used in hot beverages, particularly coffee.

Cichorium intybus

The Benefits of Flavor

2009-06-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Flavor
Flavorful food is a joy and a pleasure that needs no excuse or justification. Nevertheless, it is actually healthy as well.

Flavor can guide us in making nutritional choices, as mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, but that is not all.

What the physiologists call the hedonistic aspect of taste, in this case the sheer delight that good seasonings can bring to eating apparently has real health benefits.

Good flavor, or even anticipated good flavor suggested by the appetizing appearance and smell of the food, cause saliva to gather in the mouth.

Saliva contains an enzyme that begins digestion, especially of the starches and it also helps moisten and soften for food swallowing.

The stomach also responds to pleasant flavors by secreting extra gastric juices.

So the better the flavor, the better our digestion, and the more comfortable healthy and well nourished we are.

Consider the so-called “French paradox”: the traditional French diet is heavy with cholesterol-laden foods – cream, butter, eggs, red meats, cheeses, goose liver – and French eaters do have high cholesterol levels in their blood, but the do not have the high rate of heart attacks that American doctors associates with this condition.

One of the most convincing hypotheses put forward to explain this paradox is that in France the traditional relaxed enjoyment of good, flavorful food at the table is what keeps the heart attacks away.

Seasoning can make appetizing the foods that the doctor orders, by they low salt, no cholesterol or simply more vegetable.

A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down; a handful of herbs nicely compensates for salt; and intriguing spices make-up for lowering the fat content.
The Benefits of Flavor

Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon

2009-05-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon
Ceylon cinnamon, the true cinnamon of commerce, is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, an evergreen tree belonging to the laurel family and native to Ceylon.

The spice is not imported in large amounts into United States but is in demand in other parts of the world.

The dried bark assume the form of a cylinder, which is cut into short lengths and marketed as Ceylon cinnamon sticks.

Ground cinnamon is used as a baking spice for cakes, breads, buns cookies and pies. Ceylon cinnamon has fragrant odor and a warm, sweet, aromatic taste.

Ground Ceylon cinnamon contains starch grains about the size of allspice. Bark fibers are more numerous than in cassia cinnamon but no cork is present. Stone cells are somewhat similar to those in allspice.

The bark of Ceylon cinnamon contains 0.5 – 1.0% of steam volatile essential oil. The principal flavor constituent is cinnamic aldehydes (55 – 75%) and small amount =s (4 – 8%) of eugenol.

Cassia cinnamon is prepared from dried bark of cinnamon cassia, an evergreen tree native to South Vietnam and the eastern Himalayas.

Cassia bark has more intense aroma, higher essential oil content, and is less delicately flavored than Ceylon cinnamon.

These two species are obtained from two different species of plants grown in different areas.

However their nomenclature has been used so interchangeably that they have come to mean the same product.

More cassia cinnamon than Ceylon cinnamon is used in the United Sates. The primary sources for cassia cinnamon are Saigon cassia, C. loureirii (nees); Korinji “thick quill,” C. burmannii (Blume); grown in Sumatra; Padang “thin quill”; and C. sintok (Blume), produced in Malaysia.

Cassia is used by bakers, confectioners, fruit canners and other food processor in the same manner as Ceylon cinnamon.

The volatile oil of cassia contains form 75 to 90% of cinnamic aldehydes together with smaller amounts of related aldehydes.

Adulterated reported in the ground spice include exhausted cassia, ground bark, cassia buds, nutshells and other cheaper material.
Ceylon and Cassia Cinnamon

Black and White Pepper

2009-04-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Black and White Pepper
The pepper of commerce is produced from unripe fruits of the perennial climbing vine and is available in two distinct forms – black pepper and white pepper.

The former consists of the whole dried fruits picked while still green and sun dried.

During drying they turn to a brownish black color with the individual peppercorns having a much wrinkled outer skin.

White pepper is the dried kernel of the fruits which are gathered when they are just turning slightly yellow.

The fruit are subsequently soaked in water to soften and loosen the outer skin which is then removed by friction, white peppercorns are smooth surfaced.

Pepper originated in the Western Ghats of India from where it has spread to many parts of tropical Asia, notably Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

As a seasoning and condiment, pepper is second to none, and its use is ubiquitous.

The distinctive odor and flavor of pepper overlie its pungency due to its essential oil content which varies both quantitatively and qualitatively between sources and varieties.

The chemical composition of the oil is complex and is present from 1 to 3%.

The oil from white pepper contains similar components to that from black pepper are markedly different from that of the spice stored in a ground condition as regular users of the domestic pepper mill will readily attest.

Not only does the ground material soon lose it pleasing freshness but it also develops an obvious and insistent ammoniacal note which detracts from its true peppery character.

The profile of essential oil distilled directly from freshly crushed peppercorns has a most attractive nuance much appreciated in blending of high quality, spicy fragrances.
Black and White Pepper

Capsicum

2009-04-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

Capsicum
Capsicum, cayenne pepper and chilies are all names given to members of the various Capsicum species and varieties used extensively in foods.

The names are legion and often very local (particularly in Mexico) so that considerable confusion arises over what is meant in a formulation by the term “cayenne pepper”; to some users it is particularly hot and to their relatively mild, depending upon the regional source of the capsicum used.

The genus Capsicum is widely distributed and exists in innumerable sizes, shapes, colors and levels of pungency; but the fruits can be roughly divided into main groups:
a. The large fleshy fruits of Capsicum annuum, L.
b. The small fruited Capsicum minimum, Roxb, or C. frutescens, L.

The least pungent varieties are the large fleshy red and green peppers which are not unlike a tomato and used more as a flavorful vegetable than as a spice.

Paprika is also at this end of the scale although some varieties may indeed be slightly pungent.

The most pungent are the very small fruits of C. frutescens which are also widely known as African Chilies.

In between these two extremes there is a whole spectrum of varieties. It would be something of an oversimplification to say that the larger the fruit the more colorful and less pungent it is.

The larger and sweeter (less pungent) types of capsicum are generally well known and widely used in food processing and domestically.

They are often called “chili pepper” and this title, particularly in the United States, must not be confused with “chili powder” which is really a specially blended product which forms a complete piquant seasoning.
Capsicum

Flavor

2009-03-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

Flavor
Taste and smell, described as our two chemical senses, work together in our perception of the flavor of food.

The process is extremely complex and not completely understood. Neither the tongue nor the nose alone is sufficient to experience flavor; we must have the combination of taste and aroma, as the brain registers signals from the taste buds and mouth and from the olfactory sensory cells at the roof of the nasal passage.

In addition, the sense of touch is inextricably involved in our experience, as we react to the “mouth-feel” of food, determined by its texture and c0nsistency.

The temperature of food, as well as the presence of certain chemicals which we describes as “hot” (as in chilies) or “cool” (as in mints) are also factors.

Piquant foods actually cause a degree of pain, in a way that offends some eaters but excites and pleases others. The look of food before we eat is important, as are the sounds we hear – crunchy, squeaky, slurpy, fizzy, and so on – as we chew and swallow.

And finally a feeling of satisfaction, satiety, or even bloatedness, or the discovery that “it tastes like more,” all contribute to the profound experience of savoring our food.

Moreover, these sensations are modified by our mood at the moment, our state of health, our expectations, nostalgia and the taboos and aversions.

Our sense of smell, while perhaps dull in comparison to most other mammals’, is nonetheless extremely subtle, and we can discriminate among thousands of different scents.

In contrast, the gustatory sense - the perceptions communicated by the taste buds – is usually regarded as rather crude, being limited to just four basic tastes: sweet, sour (or acid), bitter and salty.

This theory is by no means universally accepted, however, some physiologists and some culinary cultures suggest that there are one or more additional basic tastes, variously describe as earthy, metallic, stringent, alkaline (soapy), or spicy (pungent).

It is difficult to specify precisely what is meant by these terms, and some of them may overlap. Our problem is identifying the basic tastes may reflect a physiological fact: Although the question of how many basic tastes there are goes back at least to Aristotle, no one has yet demonstrated that such a thing as a basic taste actually exists.
Flavor

Garlic and Health Benefits

2009-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Garlic and Health Benefits
The garlic juice is almost impossibly to drink though, resulting in sweating and an immune system response directed at live garlic cells in the juice.

What is happening is that the live garlic is very strong so the body has a battle digesting the fresh garlic juice. Even so, this has a net positive effect if one can endure it.

Digesting cleansing does involve frequent and less than solid bowel movements, plus bloating.

Bloating is often part of the healing process as the immune system goes to work. It does take months to repair decades of poor diet and less than optimum health.

Understanding that this is a necessary part of the healing process prevents people from giving up and not recognizing progress.

A flat stomach and an ability consume cleansing vegetables plus energized water without any result other than great health and vitality, is the end goal.

Anyone who looks old has a digestive system that needs major repair. Every part of the body regenerates and is capable of healing over time. The digestive system cells, especially the inner wall of the digestive track, regenerate most frequently.

Other than that, garlic acts well against cataract, particularly in smokers and for colds. Like onion juice, one dessertspoonful of garlic in half a pint of warm water is a recognized remedy for worms in children.

One suspects that children in Mediterranean countries must be well protected against worms, and statistics show that their parents have a lower incidence of heart disease than most Europeans, all of which helps to confirm the therapeutic value of this bulb.

Garlic juice has been used beneficially for many conditions including tuberculosis, entercolitis and amoebic dysentery. It is an expectorant as well as assisting asthma and bronchitis.
Garlic and Health Benefits

Celery Seed

2009-01-30T10:38:00.000-08:00

Celery Seed
Celery seed is the dried ripe fruit of a biennial herb belonging to the Parsley family (Umbelliferae). The plant is cultivated in many parts of the world including France, India, Italy, Japan and the United States.

Celery seed is used as a flavoring for tomato juice, sauces, soups, pickles, salads and vegetables juices.

Celery seed contains 2 – 3% of a steam volatile oil of which the chief constituents are D-limonene (60%) and selinene (10 – 20%).

The characteristics flavor is believed to be due to small amounts of a number of alcohol, anhydrates, acids and lactones.

According to U.S standards, a celery seed is a dried fruit of Celeri graveolens (L.) shall contain not more than 10% of total ash, nor more than 2% of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid.
Celery Seed

The Pungent Spices

2009-01-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

The Pungent Spices
This is well defined group of spices which are used universally in food seasoning to add bite or piquancy to the end product. In the case of pepper and ginger this pungent effect is accompanied by a quite characteristic flavor due to nonpungent aromatic components present in the essential oil of these spices, the familiar bite and flavor of mustard, on the other hand, is due to a very volatile constituent which largely constitutes so-called “oil of mustard.”

It is not easy to equate the relative pungency of the spices in this group as the effect of each in the mouth is so very different. Pepper causes a pleasing tingling sensation along the front edge of the tongue with very little effect upon the throat tissues unless it is present far in excess of normal.

Capsicums are different in that they can be detected in low concentrations as a sharp pain deep in the throat with almost no effect upon the linings of the mouth and tongue.

Ginger differs yet again in having a fuller and more rounded pungency which is evident upon the sides and back of the tongue but not in the throat.

Compared with all these, the distinctive pungency of mustard is in a different class. The pungent principles of pepper, capsicum and ginger are present as nonvolatile constituents of the spice and can be recovered unchanged by solvent extraction. That of mustard is volatile and is created by enzyme action when ground mustard flour is mixed with water, the warm, sharply aromatic pungency of mustard surfuses the whole mouth.

One readily differentiate between the various pungent spices when they are evaluated singly but it is much more difficult to separate out the several effects when they are represent together in a seasoning – as is usually the case. With all of these spices, the pungent effect is cumulative so that one feels an increasing response with successive doses of the same level of stimulus until one reaches a threshold of saturation.

This makes the evaluation of the spices themselves and products containing them very difficult to achieve with any degree of accuracy as the build-up of pungency detracts from and ultimately overwhelms any flavoring effect. All the pungent species leave an after taste which may be of long duration.
The Pungent Spices

Herb or Spices?

2008-12-26T19:24:00.001-08:00

Herb or Spices?
What is the difference between and herb and a spice? Many people ask that question, but almost nobody likes the answer. The truth is the words herb and spice are not well defined, and very attempt to spell out a distinction between them soon runs into exception to the rule.

Generally we know that herb is a plant native to the temperate regions of the earth. Our word derives from Latin herba, meaning “grass,” and most herbs come from soft green leafy plants; unlike shrubs and trees these do not develop woody stems.

We know that the herbs are aromatic and flavorful, with possible medicinal or even aphrodisiac properties, and several definitions specify the present of some fragrant essential oil in the leaves that gives them their potency.

Spices, on the other hand are the precious commodities of tropical regions. The spices are plant parts other than leaves such as bark, roots, seeds, sap or flower buds; they are often dried. They too have outstanding fragrances and strong tastes and often serve additionally as dyestuffs, cosmetics or magic charms.

These distinctions work well enough in general, but many exception immediately spring to mind: Rosemary, for example, is a fine temperate zone herb, but in suitable conditions it can form an enormous woody-stemmed hedge bristling with spiky little leaves, penetrating in its perfume and buzzing with bees; anything but soft! And is lavender an herb? Certainly not tropical – it is decidedly unhappy in too warm a climate - it develops persistent woody stems; and we use both it flowers and its leaves.

Many soft temperate-zone plants, such as anise, caraway, cumin and fennel, are valued not for their leaves but for the aromatic small fruits, which we call seeds. And then there are poppy seeds, which contain no essential oil at all. Our definitions of herbs clearly have both gaps and overlaps.
Herb or Spices?

Cardamom and Cardamom Seed

2008-12-19T01:08:00.001-08:00

Cardamom and Cardamom Seed
Cardamom is the dried nearly ripe fruit of a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Ginger family. It is native to India and cultivated in India, Ceylon, and Central America (Guatemala).

Cardamom is sweet, spicy, and highly aromatic. It is available in the pod, as decorticated seeds (i.e., capsule removed), or ground. It is used as a flavoring for breads, buns, pastries, cakes and cookies. It is an essential ingredient of curry powder and is used sparingly in sausage and hamburger seasonings.

Cardamom contains form 2 to 10% volatile oils. The principal flavor constituents are cineole and D-terpinyl acetate.

According to United States standards, the dried seed of cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum (Maton), shall contain not more than 8% of total ash, not more than 3% of ash insoluble in hydrochloric acid.
Cardamom and Cardamom Seed

Classifications of Spices

2008-12-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Classifications of Spices
In the case of herbs it is possible to classify them into groups having broadly similar sensory attributes based on the prime constituent of the essential oil. Unfortunately, when one is considering the spices such a meaningful grouping is only partially possible as far fewer associations, based on some common organoleptic property, exists; many of the spices are individually distinctive and unlike any other spice. This being so, it is convenient to classify certain of them on a purely botanical basis either by family or by form (e.g., aromatic fruits).

The spices are so classified as follows:

The pungent spices
Capsicum, ginger, black and white pepper, mustard, horseradish

The aromatic fruits
Nutmeg and mace, cardamom, fenugreek

The umbelliferous fruits
Anise, fennel
Caraway
Celery, lovage, parsley
Cumin
Coriander

The aromatic barks containing cinnamic aldehyde
Cinnamon bark, cassia bark

The phenolic spices containing eugenol
Clove bud, allspice, cinnamon leaf, clove stem, clove leaf, West Indian bay

The most important of the spices commercially is, of course, pepper, which is used universally; pepper is followed by cloves, nutmeg and mace, cardamom, cinnamon and cassia, ginger and allspice or pimento. These 9 species together account do some 90% of the total spice trade.
Classifications of Spices

Definition of Spices

2008-11-30T18:22:00.001-08:00

Definition of Spices
The soft-stemmed plant materials used in seasoning food are classified as “herbs” and all other aromatic plants products used for a similar purpose are called spices, although this broad definition admits of several exceptions.

Spices are usually only parts of plants and may be either roots, rhizomes, barks, seeds, fruits, flower buds etc. Unlike herbs the spices are very aromatic and may contain large percentages of essential oil as well as the powerful non volatile flavoring components. They are normally derived from the semi-tropical or tropical regions of the world, are harvested and usually sun dried to form the spice of commerce.

Condiments are seasonings which are added to food after it has been served. In this category the most popular and widely used are salt, mustard, pepper and ginger.
Definition of Spices

Components and usage of Coriander Oil

2008-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Components and usage of Coriander Oil
Botanically name Coriandrum sativum. The annual production of coriander seed oil is about 700 tons, virtually all from the former Soviet Union. Other minor producers are India, Egypt, Romania, South Africa and Poland. Production herb oil in France, the former Soviet Union and Egypt is very limited. Coriander seeds yield 0.9% oil on steam distillation. The fresh herb yield only 0.02% oil. Demand is increasing slightly. The major market is the United States.

The major components of coriander seed oil are typically:
74% linalol (light, lavender)
6% gamma-terpinene (light, citrus, herbaceous)
5% camphor (fresh, camphoraceous)
3% alpha0pinene (light, pine)
2% para-cymene (light, citrus)
2% limonene (weak, light, citrus)
2% geranyl acetate (fruity, floral, rose)

The major component of coriander leaf is
10% dec-2-enal (strong, orange marmalade)

Coriander seed oil can be adulterated with synthetic linalol but this is readily detectable by gas chromatography.

The seed oil is used in a very wide variety of flavor applications. It is part of the traditional flavoring of a number of alcoholic drinks, especially gin. It is widely used in meat seasoning and curry blends. It provides a very attractive natural source of linalol in natural fruit flavors, particularly apricot, the herb oil is very widely used in South Asia seasoning blends but also provides a unique citrus character in natural flavors. There are no legal restrictions on the use of coriander oil in flavorings.
Components and usage of Coriander Oil

Clove and Health Benefits

2008-11-04T02:52:00.000-08:00

Clove and Health Benefits
The clove is an evergreen tree with pointed leaves that is native to the Molucca Islands and cultivated in Madagascar, Indonesia and Zanzibar. Oil of cloves is extracted from the leaf and/or flowers, and is the principal form of clove used medicinally.

Oil of cloves is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, analgesic, and antifungal. Benefits of clove oil for specific health conditions include the following:

Food poisoning. Clove oil kills some types of bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumonia, all of which can be involved in food poisoning.

Peptic ulcer. Oil of clove reduces the sensation of gas pressure within the stomach that is frequently troubling for people with the peptic ulcers. The eugenol is clove oil depresses the transmission of nerve impulses that convey a felling of bloating and gas and although it does not directly stop the production of gas. This herb also protects against stomach cancer.

Periodontal disease and toothache. Clove blossoms and clove oil have been used around the world for generations to relieve pain form toothache and dental treatment. Oil of clove is combined with zinc oxide to make an analgesic paste. Clove oil should be avoided, however, in treating pain due to root canal work, since it may cause inflammation.

Clove and Health Benefits

Caraway and Caraway Seed

2008-10-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

Caraway and Caraway Seed
Caraway is the dried fruit of a biennial herb belonging to the Carrot family, which is native to Europe. Imports of caraway into the United Sates are mainly from the Netherlands.

Caraway is used to flavor rye bread, cakes, cookies, cheese, and sauerkraut; it is available whole or ground.

The principal flavor constituents of the volatile oil of caraway are D-carvone (50 – 60%) and D-limonene, with smaller amounts of other related compounds. The volatile oil constitutes 3 – 5% of caraway.

Carum carvi L., caraway is believed to have been cultivated and consumed in Europe longer, than any other spices species. Seed, found in ancient debris in Switzerland should be a proof for it. Cultivation is known since the Middle Ages, from Sicily to northern Scandinavia.

Although caraway is seldom used in medicinally, it may help settle upset stomachs when taken as a mild tea or steeped in warm milk. Crushing the hard-coated seeds fist, or chopping them coarsely with a knife, helps release their beneficial compounds.
Caraway and Caraway Seed

Herbs Containing Thymol or Carvacrol

2008-10-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Herbs Containing Thymol or Carvacrol
The establishment of aromatic profiles for members of this group is complicated by the considerable confusion over nomenclature. The botany of the plants in the family Labiatae, which are variously known as “thyme” of “origanum” is very involved; much of the misunderstanding is due to the fact that Spanish thyme is often origanum and vice versa and the term “marjoram” or the French word “marjolaine” is applied to several aromatic plants of different species. In commerce, the position is not improved as the essential oils from these various plants are often blended and offered under both names. However, there is now general agreement for the following nomenclature.

THYME
Thyme is Thymus vulgaris, L. or Thymus zygis, L. The essential oil from these plants has a total phenol content of 40 – 60% of which not less than 90% is crystallize thymol.

WILD THYME
Wild thyme is usually regarded as Thymus serpyllum, L. and is not widely available except in Russia.

ORIGANUM
Origanum is Thymus capitatus and some other species of Thymus or Origanum the essential oil of which contains 60 – 75% of total phenols consisting mainly of noncrystallizable carvacrol.

WILD MARJORAM
Wild marjoram is either Origanum vulgarae, L. or Thymus masticina, L.

SWEET MARJORAM
Sweet marjoram is Marjorana hortensis, the essential oil of which does not contain any phenols.

WHITE THYME OIL
White thyme oil is not a prime essential oil from a different plant but it is redistillation of red thyme oil of commerce.
Herbs Containing Thymol or Carvacrol

Capsicum Peppers

2008-10-06T01:13:00.000-07:00

Capsicum Peppers
Several condiments are prepared from the dried fruits of a plants belonging to the Solanaceae or Potato family. It is native to tropical America, but is cultivated throughout the world. Capsicum fruits are the source of paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper, and chili powder.

Paprika is produced from the fruit of capsicum annum. The color of the fruits may range from a bright-red to a brick red. The flavor is characterized by having little or no pungency. Capsicum annum grows in temperate climates, in countries such as Spain, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, and the United States. In the home paprika is used for flavoring and garnishing meat and fish dishes, poached and deviled eggs, salads, canapés, etc. In the food industry, it is used in the preparation of catsup, sauces and other foods.

Cayenne pepper is made from the dried, ripe fruit of C. frutescens, C. boccatum, or some other smaller more pungent capsicum. These plants are grown in Africa, Japan, Louisiana, and other areas of the world. The pungency of this species is due to a compound known as capsicum; the spice must be used with discretion for a small amount will add considerable flavor to foods.

Red pepper is the ground product from large red peppers. It is milder than cayenne pepper and is used primarily in spaghetti, soups, stews, and Mexican-style dishes.

Chili powder is a combination of spices that includes a bland such as chili con crane and hot tamales. It is also used as a seasoning for eggs, stews, pork and beans, sausages products, etc.

The principal flavoring constituents of the capsicums is a non volatile crystalline substance known as capsaicin. Paprika owes its color to several carotenoids.
Capsicum Peppers

Spanish Sage

2008-09-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Spanish Sage
Botanic name for Spanish Sage is Salvia lavandulaefolia, L.
Sage grows wild throughout the arid mountain slopes of southern Spain and often in closer proximity o the cultivation of Spike Lavender, particularly in the provinces Granada, Jaen and Murcia. Little of the herb reaches the market as it is usually harvested and distilled locally to give about 0.7% of the yellowish essential oil. Because of the market similarity of odor, this oil is often used as an extender of the much more expensive oil of Spike Lavender.
Components of the essential oil
Alpha-pinene
cineole (25-35%)
d-camphor (20%)
1-linalool (20%)
Linalyl acetate
Sabinyl acetate
Alpha-terpinyl acetate
Spanish Sage

Anise

2008-09-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Anise
Anise is the dried fruit of an annual herbaceous plant, Pimpinella anisum (L.), belonging to the Umbelliferae or Carrot family. Pimpinella anisum (L.), is indigenous to the eastern Mediterranean region, but is cultivated in many parts of the world including Spain, Syria, Turkey, India, China, Mexico and Argentina.

Anise is used to flavor soup, cakes, cookies, and rolls; in confectionary to flavor candies and syrups.

Crushed anise seeds yield a steam volatile oil amounting to 1.5 – 3.5%. The principal flavor component of the oil is anethole (80 – 90%) together with other organic compounds such as methyl chavicol, anisketone, and anisaldehyde. Anise seed and anise oil are characterized by a licorice-like flavor and odor.

In one study, scientists isolated 22 compounds in Pimpinella’s essential oil and found high levels of organic mixture called phenylpropanoids. The compounds were found to have effectively against strawberry anthracnose and strawberry soft rot and leaf blight. A few showed some effectiveness against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans, and Mycobacterium intracellulare, a bacterium which can cause illness in immunocompromised patients.

These results suggest that Pimpinella essential oils may be a source of potent compounds that could be used in developing powerful new pharmaceuticals and agrochemical agents.
Anise

Allspice or (Pimento)

2008-09-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Allspice or (Pimento)
Allspice, Pimento dioica (L.), is the dried fruit of an evergreen tree belonging to the Myrtle family. The tree is native to the West Indies, but is found in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The berries are harvested just before they ripen because the ripened fruits lose much of their quantity. The berries are dried by exposing them to the sun for a period of 7 – 12 days, the common name, allspice, originates from the fact that the berries have a flavor similar to the combined flavors of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. Most commercial allspice comes from Kingston Jamaica.

Allspice contains a volatile oil, resin, cellulose, pentosans, starch, pigments, etc. The starch granules are small, nearly circular, and uniform in size with central dotted hilum. Allspice contains lumps of yellow brown, or resin, which is characteristics of this spice. The volatile oil constitutes 3 – 4.5% of allspice. The principal flavor component of the oil is eugenol, which makes up 60 – 75% of the oil.

Allspice is available both whole and ground. It is used for flavoring meats, gravies, sauces, relishes, pickles, preserves, puddings, cakes, and beverages. Ground allspice is a constituent of spice mixtures such as curry powder and pastry spice.
Adulterants reported in ground allspice include clove stems, nutshells, fruit stones, cereals and dried fruit products.
Allspice (Pimento)

Bay Laurel

2008-09-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauracae) also known as Sweet Bay is a tree which is cultivated throughout Turkey, Israel, Russia, Italy and France although, increasingly, commercial crops of leaves is being exported from Greece and Mexico. A similar crop is found in China but the variety is different and the leaves contain an essential oil having a marked phenolics odor not unlike that of West Indian bay.

The leaves yield about 2% essential oil when steam distilled. The leaves are 6–12 cm long and 2–4 cm broad, with a characteristic finely serrated and wrinkled margin. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants; each flower is pale yellow-green, about 1 cm diameter, borne in pairs together beside a leaf (Herb). The fruit is a small black berry about 1 cm long, containing a single seed.

Component of the essential oil
Alpha–pinene
cineole (45 – 50%)

Beta–phellandrene
1- linalool
1-alpha-terpineol
geraniol
euogenol
methyl eugenol
geranyl and eugenyl esters

Bay Laurel

Classifications of Herbs

2008-08-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

Classifications of Herbs
In studying a range of aromatic materials, such as the herbs, it is desirable to classify them into groups having some character in common. A botanical classification is of interest but the system which gives the most meaningful comparative grouping is one based on sensory attributes related to the prime constituents of the essential oil.

Although the essential oil is important and is responsible for the characteristic odor and flavor of the plant, it does not represent the total flavor complex; nonvolatile constituents may play a significant part in rounding off the profile and contributing taste elements, particularly sharpness and bitterness.

Herbs can be classified as:

Herbs containing cineole: bay laurel, rosemary, spanish sage.

Herbs containing thymol/carvacrol: thyme, origanum, wild marjoram, sweet savory, Mexican sage, oregano.

Herbs containing sweet alcohols: sweet basil, sweet marjoram, tarragon

Herbs containing thujone: Dalmation sage, Greek sage, English sage.

Herbs containing menthol: peppermint, corn mint, spearmint, garden mint.

Classifications of Herbs

Spices, Herbs and Flavor

2008-07-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

Spices, Herbs and Flavor
Foods may be evaluated either on the basis of their nutrient content or their appeal to the consumer. Although the nutrient content of a food is an important factor, it is nevertheless true that a food will not be chosen freely and consumed unless it appeals to the consumer. Expressed another way, a food must appear tasty, it must rates right, and it must posses the texture one wants.

In many cases foods can be made more appetizing by the addition of flavoring agents such as spices, herbs, and flavorings. Of further help in this respect is the use of flavor enhancers and salt.

Flavoring agents may be natural or synthetic. In the past most flavoring agents were derived from natural sources. Among the most important were spices, aromatic seeds and herbs. In general, when the natural product was from plants of tropical origin, it was considered a spice; when from plants of temperate climates, it was considered a herb.

This distinction is somewhat tenuous, and it is sometimes difficult to classify a product as a spice or herb. All of these products have one thing in common: they contain an aromatic flavoring component, usually an essential oil that enriches or alters the taste of a food. With few exceptions the particular plant product is used whole or ground after being dried.
Spices, Herbs and Flavor

Variability of Odor and Flavor Strength of Spices

2008-06-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Variability of Odor and Flavor Strength of Spices
Spices posses the variation characteristics of all natural products. With few exceptions, spices depend for much of their value upon the essential oil content. It is the quantity present which determines the flavoring power; and its composition determines the flavoring quality of the spices essential oil is a product of the plant’s metabolic processes and is particularly subject to seasonal and climatic changes in the growing area; to the nature of the soil in each region; to the care taken in planting, husbandry and harvesting; and, finally, to the care taken during the preparation of the spice for marketing – which often may be after long periods of storage under adverse conditions in tropical warehouses. At all stages the essential oil content is at risk, giving rise to commercial samples of wide flavoring differences.

Whereas one would expect flavor differences between related plants of different species, perhaps it is not so widely realized that there can be even more significant differences in aromatic profiles between plants of the same species but grown in different regions. This becomes obvious when one compares the flavor profile of ginger grown in Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cochin, China, Australia or New Guinea. All are derived from Zingiber officinale, L; but one certainly cannot transpose one source for another without endangering the flavor profile of end-product.

The needs for the good working knowledge of the source of herbs and spices and the aromatic profiles of the commercial grades available are obvious.
Variability of Odor and Flavor Strength of Spices

Advantages usage of ground spices

2008-05-31T17:56:00.000-07:00

Advantages usage of ground spices
Many of the large food company prefer to purchase whole spices and store these in their unbroken condition: then only comminuting, blending or processing them into seasonings as required. Although there is still a significant use of traditional ground spices in food processing, the trend is toward alternative products which have marked technologies advantage.

In use, ground spices do have certain well-established advantage over other forms of seasoning. When used in baked goods (e.g., biscuits, cakes, etc.) the slow flavor release from the unbroken cellular tissues delays and reduces the loss of aromatics due to initial steam distillation and ultimate high temperatures encountered during the baking process. Although losses do occur, the end product is still adequately flavored without recourse to an excessive over-use of spice in the initial dough mix.

The natural spices are of such a flavor level that they may be unincorporated directly into food formulation and, although the quantities involved are generally small, they are readily manageable on the factory scale. From the food processor’s point of view, spices are “natural” and pose no problems when it comes to label declarations.
Advantages usage of ground spices

Ground Spices

2008-04-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ground Spices
Spices may be milled to a wide range of particle size depending on their nature and ultimate use; the finer the powder the more readily available the flavor. In view of the many problems associated with purchasing, storing and handling spices, these are generally handled by specialist processor who have the necessary plant and skills to ensure that the raw materials are of the correct quality, that the grinding rate and the heat generated, as well as the methods of the handling and packing the ground material, result in minimum volatile loss or degradation.

Spices, once ground, are liable to serious loss of volatile constituents with a consequent weakening of their flavoring power. These materials should always be stored in cool, dry conditions and turned over regularly. If these simple precautions are ignored, the resulting seasoning may produce an unacceptable flavor level in the end product. In certain instances, a significant degradation of flavor quality may also occur during storage. This may due to oxidation oil constituents or of any fixed oil present, or, in certain instances; it may be the result of enzymatic changes. One has only smell a sample of ground pepper as purchased from a supermarket against that of a freshly-ground sample from a hand pepper mill to appreciate the great difference in aromatic quality between the two. The pungency of the pepper will not have change but the odor most certainly has. With umbelliferous fruit (e.g. caraway, cumin, etc) the onset of rancidity is the main cause of off-odor notes. In the case of ground paprika, this may also be accompanied by a fall-off in tinctorial power.
Ground Spices

Garlic oil

2008-03-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Garlic oil
The essential oil of garlic can be recovered by steam distillation of the fresh crushed cloves, the yield being 0.1% to 0.2%. Garlic oil is a powerful flavoring agent and is widely used in seasonings either as a liquid flavor or dispersed as a dry-carrier.

Many problems arise when fresh garlic is included in a food product. The commercial availability vegetable occurs as a compound bulb make-up of 10 to 14 small “clove” encased in a tough outer skin. The bulb must first be cleaned and sorted, the outer tissue removed and the cloves separated. The garlic is then ready for mincing, cutting and crushing. The whole process is tedious and the manufacturing department becomes permeated with the smell. This can give rise to the problem of cross-contamination unless great care is taken.

Like all other natural product, the flavoring effect of fresh garlic is variable whereas that of garlic oil is relatively consistent. It is not surprising, therefore, that the garlic oil is now widely used in place of the fresh vegetable. To overcome the objectionable odor associated with both fresh garlic and garlic oil, the use of encapsulated garlic oil is strongly recommended. This dry powder product is almost free of odor and does not release its contents until the capsule is broken down by admixture with water.
Garlic oil

Ginger and health benefits

2007-12-22T20:50:00.000-08:00

Ginger us a powerful herbal drinks that offer healing benefits for almost every single organ of the body. Ginger has a particular affinity for the digestive tract. It has been used for centuries as a digestive aid in a Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic, and European herbal traditions. It effectively relieves a wide variety of digestive ailments, including nausea, heartburn, flatulence and diarrhea.

The anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger not only soothe digestive upsets but also help to relieve menstrual cramps, migraine headaches and arthritis. Ginger keeps the cardiovascular system healthy, and preventing the blood clots that lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Studies have shown that ginger stimulates immune activity and helps to keep away the influenza virus, making it especially helpful for treating colds and flu.

Spices and herbs

2007-11-08T03:01:00.000-08:00

Although the domestic culinary use of herbs and spices is well established and there are many specialist recipe books which cover herbs and spices, there still exists uncertainty about the correct and most economical way to use them in the production of mass processed foods, particularly those which may have undergo long storage periods before ultimate use by the consumer.

The housewife or chef, using traditional ground herbs and spices, can readily make adjustments in the quality added to suit individually dishes with knowledge of the degree of spicing which will make pleasure. The manufacturer, on the other hand, has a wider range of processed spices available to suit his technological needs and must ensure that the seasonings employed will result in a consistent product having a minimal consumer rejection level.

Melissa officinalis

2007-06-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Spices and Herbs
Balm (Melissa officinalis, Linn.), a perennial herb of the natural order Labiatæ. The popular name is a contraction of balsam, the plant having formerly been considered a specific for a host of ailments. The generic name, Melissa, is the Greek for bee and is an allusion to the fondness of bees for the abundant nectar of the flowers. Balm is a native of southern Europe, where it was cultivated as a source of honey and as a sweet herb more than 2,000 years ago. It is frequently mentioned in Greek and Latin poetry and prose. Because of its use for anointing, Shakespeare referred to it in the glorious lines

"Not all the water in the rough, rude sea
Can wash the balm from an anointed king."

As a useful plant it received attention from the pen of Pliny. From its home it has been introduced by man as a garden plant into nearly all temperate climates throughout the world, and is often found as an escape from gardens where introduced—occasionally in this role in the earliest settled of the United States. Very few well-marked varieties have been produced. A variegated one, now grown for ornament as well as for culinary purposes, is probably the same as that mentioned by Mawe in 1778.
Spices and Herbs

Instance use of herbs

2007-06-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Spices and Herbs
The flavors of the various herbs cover a wide range, commencing with fennel and ending with sage, and are capable of wide application. In one case which came under my observation, the cook made a celery-flavored stew of some meat scraps. Not being wholly consumed, the surviving debris appeared a day or two later, in company with other odds and ends, as the chief actor in a meat pie flavored with parsley. Alas, a left-over again! "Never mind," mused the cook; and no one who partook of the succeeding stew discovered the lurking parsley and its overpowered progenitor, the celery, under the effectual disguise of summer savory. By an unforeseen circumstance the fragments remaining from this last stew did not continue the cycle and disappear in another pie. Had this been their fate, however, their presence could have been completely obscured by sage. This problem in perpetual progression or culinary homeopathy can be practiced in any kitchen. But hush, tell it not in the dining-room!
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Development of Herbs

2007-05-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

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The development of the herb crops contrasts strongly with that of the other crops Whereas these the other crops have continued to be staples, and to judge by their behavior during the last century may be considered to have improved in quality and yield since that ancient time, the former have dropped to the most subordinate position of all food plants. They have lost in number of species, and have shown less improvement than perhaps any other groups of plants cultivated for economic purposes.

During the century just closed only one species, parsley may be said to have developed more than an occasional improved variety. And even during this period the list of species seems to have been somewhat curtailed—tansy, hyssop, horehound, rue and several others being considered of too pronounced and even unpleasant flavor to suit cultivated palates With the exception of these few species, the loss of which seems not to be serious, this absence of improvement is to be regretted, because with improved quality would come increased consumption and consequent beneficial results in the appetizing flavor of the foods to which herbs are added. But greatly improved varieties of most species can hardly be expected until a just appreciation has been awakened in individual cultivators, who, probably in a majority of cases, will be lovers of plants rather than men who earn their living by market gardening.
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Esthetic Value of Herbs

2007-05-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Spices and Herbs
Sweet herbs may be made to serve pleasing, an esthetic purpose. Many of them may be used for ornament. A bouquet of the pale pink blossoms of thyme and the delicate flowers of marjoram, the fragrant sprigs of lemon balm mixed with the bright yellow umbels of sweet fennel, the finely divided leaves of rue and the long glassy ones of bergamot, is not only novel in appearance but in odor. In sweetness it excels even sweet peas and roses. Mixed with the brilliant red berries of barberry and multiflora rose, and the dark-green branches of the hardy thyme, which continues fresh and sweet through the year, a handsome and lasting bouquet may be made for a midwinter table decoration, a fragrant reminder of Shakespeare's lines in "A Winter's Tale":

"Here's flowers for you;
Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram;
The marigold, that goes to bed with the sun
And with him rises weeping."

The rare aroma of sweet marjoram reminds so many city people of their mother's and their grandmother's country gardens, that countless muslin bags of the dried leaves sent to town ostensibly for stuffing poultry never reach the kitchen at all, but are accorded more honored places in the living room. They are placed in the sunlight of a bay window where Old Sol may coax forth their prisoned odors and perfume the air with memories of childhood summers on the farm.
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History of Herbs

2007-05-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Spices and Herbs
It seems probable that many of the flavoring herbs now in use were similarly employed before the erection of the pyramids and also that many then popular no longer appear in modern lists of esculents. Of course, this statement is based largely upon imperfect records, perhaps, in many cases only hints more or less doubtful as to the various species. But it seems safe to conclude that a goodly number of the herbs discussed in this volume, especially those said to be natives of the Mediterranean region, overhung and perfumed the cradle of the human race in the Orient and marked the footsteps of our rude progenitors as they strode more and more sturdily toward the horizon of promise. This idea seems to gain support also from the fact that certain Eastern peoples, whom modern civilization declares to have uneducated tastes, still employ many herbs which have dropped by the wayside of progress, or like the caraway and the redoubtable "pusley," an anciently popular potherb, are but known in western lands as troublesome weeds.

Relying upon Biblical records alone, several herbs were highly esteemed prior to our era; in the gospels of Matthew and Luke reference is made to tithes of mint, anise, rue, cumin and other "herbs"; and, more than 700 years previously, Isaiah speaks of the sowing and threshing of cumin which, since the same passage (Isaiah xxviii, 25) also speaks of "fitches" (vetches), wheat, barley and "rie" (rye), seems then to have been a valued crop.
Spices and Herbs

Definitions of Herbs Culinary

2007-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

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It may be said that sweet or culinary herbs are those annual, biennial or perennial plants whose green parts, tender roots or ripe seeds have an aromatic flavor and fragrance, due either to a volatile oil or to other chemically named substances peculiar to the individual species.

Since many of them have pleasing odors they have been called sweet, and since they have been long used in cookery to add their characteristic flavors to soups, stews, dressings, sauces and salads, they are popularly called culinary.

This last designation is less happy than the former, since many other herbs, such as cabbage, spinach, kale, dandelion and collards are also culinary herbs. These vegetables are, however, probably more widely known as potherbs or greens.
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Sweet bay

2007-05-04T00:39:00.000-07:00

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Sweet bay or Laurus nobilis, is a tree which is cultivated throughout Turkey, Israel, Russia, Italy, and France. A similar tree is found in China but the variety is different and leaves contain an essential oil having a mark phenolic odor not unlike that of Pimento racemosa. The leaves yield above 2% essential oil when steam distilled.

Known as laurel by the Greeks who wore it as a garland round their heads. Also known as Bay laurel and Sweet bay. As a herb the they are use to flavor soups, stew, shellfish, sauces, marinades. Poultry and fish dishes.
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Cumin

2007-04-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

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Scientific name is Cuminum cyminum

DESCRIPTION: Lax, slender, fine leafed, annual herb to 15cm tall. Small white or deep pink flowers are followed by the pungent aromatic seeds for which the plant is grown.

ORIGIN: Egypt and countries of the Mediterranean

CULTIVATION: Select an open, well-drained and very sunny position. Sow seed in spring or early summer when all danger of frost is over and the soil has warmed up. Sow seed where it is to grow and keep moist until germination. Plants take at least 4 months of warm weather to flower and produce seed. If seedlings are to be raised under glass, sow into individual pots and transplant with as little disturbance as possible.

USES: Ground roasted cumin seed is a vital ingredient in many curry powders and curry dishes. It is used in Mediterranean, Arabian, Indian and Mexican cuisine. It is especially good in beef curries and in lentil and bean dishes. The flavour also enhances vegetables such as zucchini and eggplant. It is often used to flavour pickled vegetables. The flavour is very strong, so use judiciously.

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Garlic and Health Benefits

2007-02-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Spices and Herbs

Garlic or Allium sativum L is a member of the onion family. It grows best in climates that have cool winters. Garlic does not grow well in hot climates. The quality of home-grown garlic depends on the seed bulb used, soil and growing conditions, and diseases. The most familiar type of garlic is the white skinned Common garlic. Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L) has very large cloves, but very little garlic flavour.

Garlic contains a wide variety of phytochemicals, but most attention has centred on allicin. Garlic, in fact, does not normally contain allicin. Allicin is formed when garlic is cut. The sulphur containing amino acid alliin is broken down by enzymes to form allicin. Allicin is relatively stable if it is kept cool, but starts to degrade when heated. As allicin breaks down, diallyl sulphides are formed.

Garlic is said to be good for cardiovascular problems due to its blood pressure lowering effects, blood lipid lowering effects and its anticoagulant properties. It is believed to treat cancer, and helps fight hepatic and microbial infections. There are reports that eating garlic reduces the frequency and severity of the common cold. However, most claims are not backed by sound scientific data. Reviews of the scientific literature conclude that, at the present time, there is insufficient evidence to support health claims and no mechanisms of action have been shown for garlic or allicin that explain the purported benefits.

Spices and Herbs

Favorite spices

2007-01-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

Spices and Herbs
Here are a few of my favorite spices with their benefits:

Cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce
Cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce can increase metabolism and fat-burning ability by up to 25%.

Ginger
Ginger speeds metabolic rate, plus it inhibits nausea and vomiting often caused by morning sickness or motion sickness.

Peppermint
Peppermint is used to treat gastric and digestive disorders, as well as tension and insomnia.

Mustard
Mustard is a stimulant that can be used to relieve respiratory complaints.

Horseradish
Horseradish is a relative of the mustard family that acts as a digestive stimulant.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is often used as an antidote for diarrhea and stomach upset as well as a metabolism booster.

Allspice
Allspice is an aromatic stimulant that helps to relieve indigestion and gas.

Garlic
Regular consumption of garlic can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It also aids digestion and prevents flatulence. Recent research shows garlic to be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes.

Turmeric
Turmeric is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and therefore protects against cancer.

In conclusion
Use these spices to spice up your health
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Herbs for Weight Loss

2006-12-10T03:50:00.000-08:00

Spices and Herbs
Losing weight is not very easy. It takes determination to achieve the weight that you desire. It is always recommended to eat healthy foods and take exercise. However, you may also try adding herbs for weight loss in your plan. These are not replacements for healthy foods and regular exercise, but herbs for weight loss will aid you in the process.

Usually herbs are used for losing weight because they:
• make your digestion and metabolism efficient
• help the body in burning more calories
• decrease your appetite
• make the body excrete water
• help in overcoming emotional problems due to eating

Herbs for weight loss may work with someone does not guarantee that they will also work for you. Herbs have different reactions to a human body. If you plan to use herbs to help you lose weight, please consult your doctor to get information about the herb you would like to take.

Also, your doctor can suggest appropriate herbs for weight loss that is suitable to your body and condition.

Here are some of the popular herbs for weight loss and information about them.

Bitter Orange
This herb will decrease your appetite, thus your food consumption will be lower causing you to lose weight. However, they can cause heart problems (irregular heart rate, attacks & stroke), high blood pressure, insomnia and may sometime lead to death. Its long term effect is still being studied.

Cayenne
This is commonly known as hot pepper or chili pepper. This herb is mostly used today not only for medicinal purposes but for weight loss as well. Sweating and a rush of adrenalin are some of the effect of this herb. But, always be careful when taking this herb because excessive use can cause intestinal tract irritation.

Ephedra
Quite similar to bitter orange, it also decreases your appetite. It can cause heart problems, high blood pressure, sleeplessness and death. They have been banned in the market but can still be bought on the internet.

Green Tea
Taking green tea will help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism and decreasing your apetite. But green tea has a large percentage of caffeine. They can also cause diarrhea, indigestion and vomiting.

Hypericum (St. Johns Wort)
If you eat a lot when under stress, this herb is recommended because it is considered to be an antidepressant It has been used to treat nerve pain, mental and sleep disorders. Nowadays, it is used to lose weight because of its ability to control your appetite.

Citrus Aurantium
This is a commonly used Chinese herb which can convert stored fat into energy, thus, increasing the chances of a person to loss weight.
Cinnamon

It’s effect on sugar makes it helpful in losing weight because it lowers the percentage of bad cholesterol leaving the good ones the same.

There are many herbs for weight loss which can be used while having a healthy diet and enough exercise. These herbs can be additives to your food and drinks to make them easier to eat.

But remember that there are some herbs which should not be taken together if you have some health problems because they may have undesirable reactions to some medicines or to your body. So it is still best to consult your doctor or dietician about using herbs for weight loss to properly achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Spices and Herbs

Health Benefits of Garlic

2006-11-19T01:15:00.000-08:00

Spices and Herbs
Garlic lowers blood pressure.

Garlic lowers LDL cholesterol.

Garlic lowers or helps regulate blood sugar.

Garlic helps prevent blood clots, thus reducing the possibility of strokes.

Garlic helps prevent cancer, especially of the digestive system, prevents certain tumors from growing larger, and reduces the size of certain tumors.

Garlic helps to remove heavy metals such as lead and mercury from the body.

Garlic is a potent natural antibiotic.

Garlic dramatically reduces yeast infections due to Candida species.

Garlic has anti-oxidant properties.

Garlic is a source of selenium.
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Cinnamon

2006-11-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Spices and Herbs
Recent studies have determined that consuming as little as one-half a teaspoon of cinnamon daily may reduce blood sugar, cholesterol (LDL) and triglyceride levels by as much as 20% in type 2 diabetes who are not taking insulin.

The dried bark of the cinnamon tree is one of the world’s oldest known spices. It is mentioned in the earliest Chinese botanical dialogue, which dates back to about 2800 BC, as well as in Egyptian papyruses and the Bible.

According to a research study by Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Maryland, cinnamon helps control blood sugar and cholesterol in people with Type 2 diabetes increases cells’ sensitivity to insulin. After 40 days, subjects taking cinnamon reduced their blood sugar and triglycerides by an average of 25 percent, and they saw a nearly 20 percent improvement in LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The active ingredient in cinnamon turned out to be a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP. MHCP mimics insulin, activates its receptors and works synergistically with insulin in cells.

This element can only be found in the powdered forms of cinnamon, but not in oils. One-half teaspoon or less does the trick, so sprinkle a little cinnamon on your toast, cereal, (hot or cold), coffee and tea.
Cinnamon

Art of Culinary

2006-10-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Culinary arts is the art of cooking. Cooking is a way to prepare food that will be eaten or served to other people.
The culinary arts is comprised of many categories - some of which are tools, methods, combination of spices and ingredients that adds flavour to the food. It normally needs the right measurements, proper selection and accurate combination of ingredients involved to reach desired result.
The diversity of the Culinary arts around the world mirrors many considerations such as:
- Economic- Aesthetic- Nutritional- Religious- Cultural

1. The Dawn Of Fire
The culinary arts, if not always, is associated with fire. The heat generated by fire is oftentimes required to be applied to be able to change the food's texture, flavour, nutritional contents and even its appearance. Heating is important in the culinary arts because it disinfects the food and makes it softer. The food danger zone is between 4 to 60 degrees Celsius. Within these temperatures, the bacteria found in the found or even those that were transferred to the food can grow at a very alarming rate. Under ideal conditions bacteria can double their population every twenty minutes. Although at a glance, these foods may not appear harmful, when ingested they can be. Many people have the misconception that bacteria will die when we freeze our food or refrigerate them, but this actually does not rid the food of bacteria, merely it slows down their expansion.

2. Baking
Baking is probably the most famous department in the culinary arts. In the culinary arts, baking is the art of cooking food using an oven. The food is cooked through applying dry heat evenly through the oven and onto the food. It is used in producing pastry based goodies such as pies, tarts and cakes. The dry heat in the oven causes the starch to gelatinize and results to the browning or charring of the outside of the food. Some uneducated in the culinary arts might think that the charred part or the brown part is not as tasty as it sounds, but this part is actually what gives taste and flavour to the baked good, partly sealing the moisture of the food. The browning apparent in the baked good is caused by the sugar caramelizing and the chemical reaction that happens between the reduction of sugar and the amino acid (Maillard reaction). Moisture in the baked goody, on the other hand, is not really completely kept in, in time as the goody is being baked it will become drier and drier.

3. Boiling
Another category is boiling. Boiling is when there is a rapid vaporization of any liquid when the liquid is heated. In cooking, boiling is divided into many other categories. Blanching, a cooking term used to describe the submersion of food into boiling water and removing it after a certain period of time and then throwing it into cold water or letting water run over it causing the firming of food. Pressure cooking is when food is cooked inside an enclosed cooking tool that would limit the air that's coming in or going out of that tool - this technique speeds up the pace of cooking. Stewing would probably be the most popular cooking technique in the culinary arts division. It is a method where meats are cut up into smaller pieces and along with some vegetables are simmered into a liquid. Simmering, then again is a cooking method where the liquid is barely kept away from its boiling point. Other boiling techniques are braising, codding, steaming, infusion, poaching, double steaming, steeping and vacuum flask cooking.

4. Other
To most Americans, microwaving and grilling are the most common forms of cooking. Microwaving is the easiest and simplest form of cooking; it is a technique used mostly to reheat sumptuous meals ready to be consumed. And for grilling, most Americans have a grill station in their backyard. Grilling is a roasting method that is cooking directly under a source of heat. Other roasting methods are Barbecuing, Searing and Rotisserie. A less common method is smoking meat, or even salting it.
Source:artcilehub
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