Cilantro: A Culinary Staple and Nutritional Powerhouse

Cilantro, known as coriander in many regions, is a vibrant herb cherished for its distinctive flavor and versatility in cuisines worldwide. Its bright green leaves and unique aroma have made it a staple in Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cooking. This herb’s ability to complement a range of dishes has cemented its place in both traditional recipes and modern gastronomy.

Cilantro’s flavor is a harmonious blend of citrus, parsley, and a subtle peppery note. Fresh leaves are often sprinkled as a garnish, enhancing dishes like tacos, curries, salads, and soups with both taste and visual appeal. Beyond the leaves, cilantro’s seeds, known as coriander seeds, are integral to spice blends such as garam masala and curry powder. These seeds offer a warm, nutty flavor that enriches everything from marinades to baked goods.

Beyond the kitchen, cilantro boasts impressive health benefits. Packed with vitamins A, C, and K, it supports immune function, vision, and bone health. Cilantro is also rich in antioxidants, which help combat oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. Emerging studies highlight its potential role in managing blood sugar levels, promoting healthy digestion, and even exhibiting antimicrobial properties. For example, cilantro extract has shown promise in neutralizing heavy metals in the body, making it a potential ally in detoxification.

Interestingly, cilantro's flavor polarizes individuals, with some describing it as soapy due to genetic variations in taste perception. Despite this, it remains a beloved herb for millions.

Cilantro’s sustainability adds to its appeal. It grows quickly, requires minimal resources, and is easy to cultivate at home, ensuring a fresh supply of this flavorful herb year-round.

In conclusion, cilantro is more than a culinary ingredient; it is a symbol of cultural interconnectedness and a powerhouse of nutrition. Whether adding zest to a salsa or boosting health through its nutrients, cilantro continues to enrich lives and plates across the globe.
Cilantro: A Culinary Staple and Nutritional Powerhouse

Lemon Thyme: The Citrus-Scented Culinary Herb

Lemon thyme, a delightful culinary herb, is renowned for its vibrant citrus fragrance and flavor. When crushed, its leaves release a lemony aroma that makes it a versatile addition to many dishes. This herb's distinct lemon-like taste can effectively substitute lemon juice, zest, or flavoring in a variety of recipes, making it an indispensable ingredient in the kitchen.

Belonging to the mint family, lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) is a hybrid of Thymus vulgaris, the widely recognized garden thyme native to the Mediterranean region. Despite sharing many characteristics with common thyme, lemon thyme distinguishes itself with its unique citrus scent and flavor, which has made it a favorite among chefs and home cooks alike.

Culinary applications of lemon thyme are vast. It is particularly celebrated for its ability to enhance the flavors of poultry, seafood, and vegetables. Its lemony notes complement the natural profiles of fish and meat dishes, making it an excellent choice for marinades, stews, soups, salads, sauces, bouquet garnis, and stuffings. Additionally, a few sprigs of lemon thyme can serve as a visually appealing and aromatic garnish.

Nutritionally, lemon thyme is a valuable addition to the diet. It is a rich source of iron and vitamins C, D, and B-complex. The essential oil derived from lemon thyme contains natural compounds with significant health benefits. Thymol, the primary compound, not only imparts the herb’s citrusy flavor but also possesses potent antioxidant and antiseptic properties. These properties make lemon thyme beneficial for boosting the immune system and promoting overall health.

In recent years, the popularity of lemon thyme has surged, partly due to the growing interest in natural and healthy cooking. Its ability to impart a fresh, citrusy flavor to dishes without the acidity of lemon juice makes it a versatile and healthful addition to many recipes. Whether used fresh or dried, lemon thyme continues to be a beloved herb in culinary traditions worldwide.
Lemon Thyme: The Citrus-Scented Culinary Herb

The Aromatic and Medicinal Wonders of Star Anise

Star anise (Illicium verum) is an aromatic evergreen tree native to southern China and Vietnam. Recognizable by its star-shaped fruit and vibrant purple-red flowers, it is a member of the Magnoliaceae family. In Oriental cuisine, star anise is an essential spice, providing a sweet, anise-like aroma that enhances many dishes.

In addition to its culinary uses, star anise is valued in various industries for its unique fragrance and flavor properties. Its essential oils are complex, containing prenylated C6–C3 compounds, lignans, sesquiterpenes, and flavonoids, which contribute to its extensive medicinal properties, including antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal effects.

The main components of star anise essential oil are trans-anethole (82.7%), caryophyllene (4.8%), and limonene (2.3%). Trans-anethole, specifically (E)-anethole, is the major constituent responsible for the sweet, anise, and balsam-like taste of star anise. This compound, formally known as 1-methoxy-4-[(1E)-prop-1-en-1-yl]benzene, is an anisole derivative. Interestingly, while (E)-anethole makes up over 85% of the oil's composition, its isolated scent differs slightly from the whole fruit, highlighting the complexity of star anise's aroma profile.

Besides trans-anethole, star anise essential oil contains 24 other constituents, collectively accounting for less than 15% of the oil. These include limonene, α-pinene, safrole, β-phellandrene, α-terpineol, and farnesol. Each compound contributes to the overall sensory experience and therapeutic benefits of star anise. For example, limonene imparts a citrus note, while α-pinene provides a fresh, pine-like aroma.

Recent research continues to uncover the potential health benefits of star anise. Its essential oils have shown antioxidant properties, valuable in preventing oxidative stress-related diseases. Additionally, the antiviral properties of star anise, particularly due to shikimic acid—a precursor in the synthesis of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu)—highlight its importance in modern medicine.

In conclusion, star anise is a versatile spice with significant applications in cuisine, fragrance, and medicine. Its essential oil, dominated by trans-anethole, not only defines its unique flavor but also offers extensive health benefits, cementing its importance in both traditional and contemporary contexts.
The Aromatic and Medicinal Wonders of Star Anise

Sumac flavor

Sumac is one of the most recognized spices to come out of the Middle East. Like many other culinary spices, sumac can enhance the flavor and color of a variety of dishes. Sumac has a bold citrusy flavor and also has many health benefits including antioxidants and may also help balance blood sugar.

It has the power to bring incredible acidity to the food without adding extra liquid. Sumac has a rich red color, a citrus-like fragrance, and a distinct tart flavor similar to lemon juice. People sometimes use it to make a sweet and sour beverage known as sumac lemonade.

Made from dried berries, sumac berries grow on deciduous shrubs and trees in the Rhus genus of the Anacardiaceae family, making them distant cousins to cashews and mangoes. Berries are harvested just before they ripen, then left in the sun to dry. These trees are known for their pinnate leaves, vertical clusters of red berries, and white or green flowers. Deciduous sumac species also change colors with the seasons and come in shades of orange, red, and purple when fall rolls around.

Sumac is used as a table spice, like salt and pepper, and season dishes with it upon serving. It can be sprinkled over fried eggs or omelets, dredge over hot chips and popcorn, added to avocado toast or stir into sandwich mixes.

It’s great on fried fish and on the chips too, rice dishes, and Middle Eastern fare such as hummus, bean or chickpea salads.

Ground sumac is great for adding acidity, brightness, and color to many dishes, including grilled meats and vegetables, grains, baked goods, and desserts.

The classic Palestinian dish, Mussakhan, is made by marinading chicken thighs and drumsticks in sumac, spices and red onions before baking. The tender chicken is placed on top of taboon bread or naan so it soaks up all the caramelised juices before being topped with toasted pine nuts.
Sumac flavor

Garam masala – blend of spices

Garam masala is a popular Northern Indian spice blend used to flavor soup recipes, stews, curries, and more. The name garam masala literally means ‘warming spices’ as it warms the body and increases metabolism. The word "garam" means hot and a "masala" is a blend of spices. The hot in this case does not mean hot like chilies but, rather, warming to the body.

Garam masala can be made from many different spices, but some of the most common are cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, black cardamom, mustard seeds, shahajeera (black cumin seeds), nutmeg and fenugreek. It can also have fennel seeds, poppy seeds and mace. All these spices are lightly roasted and powdered. This unique blend of spices is supposed to hit many different notes of taste: It's sweet, warm, earthy, and even slightly floral. Blends vary from family to family and recipe to recipe.

Garam masala is a warm, fragrant spice blend with lots of layers of flavor. Garam masala are normally as a final seasoning (towards the end of the cooking). Garam masala adds flavor to curries and is often sprinkled over the surface of a simmering curry, where during slow cooking, the spice mixture contributes a rich flavor that would not otherwise be present. Garam masala adds spice to food in a mild way and without the distinct cumin notes of curry.

Garam masala is full of antioxidants which help in preventing skin problems and also help fight inflammation. It has carminative properties and apart from boosting digestion, it also helps in fighting bloating, flatulence and even nausea.
Garam masala – blend of spices

Curry leaves for aroma and flavor

Curry leaves (Murraya koenigii) are a popular leaf-spice used in very small quantities for their distinct aroma due to the presence of volatile oil and their ability to improve digestion.

It belongs to the family Rutaceae (Citrus family) that consists of approximately 150 genera and 1500 species. Curry leaf is an important leafy vegetable. Its leaves are widely used in Indian cookery for flavoring foodstuffs.

Curry leaves is commonly found in the outer Himalayas, from the Ravi eastwards, ascending to 5,000 feet, in Assam, Chittagong, Upper and Lower Burma. It is also found in evergreen and deciduous forests of peninsular India, often as underwood

The leaves have a slightly pungent, bitter and feebly acidic taste, and they retain their flavor and other qualities even after drying. It is an important ingredient in Indian curries owing to its fragrance and aroma. This plant is known to be the richest source of carbazole alkaloids.

The major component responsible for the aroma and flavor has been reported as D-α-pinene, D-sabinene, caryophyllene, D-α-terpinol, cadinol, di-α-phellandrene, dipentene and cadinene.

Essential oils from curry leaves serves as a main component in the production of soap, lotions, massage oils, diffusers, potpourri, air fresheners, body fragrance, perfume oils, aromatherapy products, bath oils, hair treatments, and many more.

Curry leaves for aroma and flavor

Looking after spices for cooking

A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark or flower of a plant or a herb used in small quantities for flavor, color or as a preservative. 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.

Globalization has made these spices easily available, and increasing their popularity. Preliminary preparations, such as grinding, roasting, or flaking of whole spices, are generally carried out before adding the spices to processed foods.

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  needed how to use them.

Spices can be grinded 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. Depending on its form, the same dried spice will deliver different flavor perceptions in the finished product. Ground spices have better dispersibility in food products than fresh whole spices. Some volatile oils are released through grinding, which partially breaks down the cellular matrix of the spice.

Spices are even more important today as around globe there is a clamor for tastier and ‘spicier’ foods. Spices or their extracts are also used in medicine, pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetics and several other industries. Their functional properties as antioxidants, preservatives, anti-microbial, antibiotic and medicinal have been well recognized and made use of.
Looking after spices for cooking

Fragrant herb of lemongrass

Lemongrass is an herb that belongs to the genus Cymbopogon of aromatic grasses and contains essential oil with fine lemon flavor. Generally, three species are identified:
*Cymbopogon flexuosus
*C.flexuosus var.flexuosus
*C.flexuosus var. albescens

Lemongrass present lemony characteristic flavor due to its main content, citral which present great importance to the industry. Citral, a combination of neral and geranial isomers, is used as a raw material for the production of ionone, vitamin A and beta-carotene.

Essential oils are natural products obtained from plants. They were formed by varied and complex volatile mixtures of chemical compounds, with predominance of terpene associated to aldehyde, alcohols and ketone which were deposited in various structure of the plant.

Essential oil and citral of lemongrass were detected to gather at parenchyma tissue cells, specifically in the adaxial surface of leaf mesophyll.

Lemongrass is commonly used in Asian cooking. When Thai food was embraced in the US, lemongrass became a household name. A little experimentation with this delightfully fragrant herb is all it takes to realize that it can be used in many more ways than just in Asian dishes. A simple syrup made by steeping lemongrass in a mix of equal parts hot water and sugar can be used to enhance fruit salads or to make home made soda by mixing it with seltzer.

Fragrant herb of lemongrass 

Ginger: Chemical compounds and usage

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a member of the Zingiberaceae family of plants. It is one of the most commonly consumed dietary condiments in the world. The oleoresin (i.e., oily resin) from the rhizomes (i.e., roots) of ginger contains many bioactive components.

It has a potent spicy fragrance and flavor and is widely used to add a piquant touch to curries, soups and beverages. It contains an oleoresin, which is rich in 115 bioactive components, such as [6]-gingerol, [4]-gingerol, [8]-gingerol, [10]-gingerol, [6]-paradol, several shogaol (in the dehydrated form), the gingerdiones, hexahydrocurcumin, tetrahydrocurcumin, and gingerenone

The studies have identified more than 400 different compounds in ginger and major constituents are as follows:
*Carbohydrates-about 70%2.
*Lipid-about 8% which includes free fatty acids.
*Volatile oils-about 3% consist mainly of the sesquiterpenes, beta-bisabolene.
*In addition, raw fibers, vitamins and minerals are also present in ginger.

Ginger has been used for thousands of years for the treatment of numerous ailments, such as colds, nausea, arthritis, migraines, and hypertension.

Based on evidence primarily from animal and in vitro studies, ginger may have beneficial effects toward cardiovascular disease through its multiple actions counteracting inflammation, hyperlipidemia, platelet aggregation, and hypertension.

Ginger: Chemical compounds and usage  

Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.)

Bitter orange, probably originated from the South-East Asiatic, first propagated in India and Persian, then in the tenth and eleventh centuries the Arabians divulged it among the Mediterranean countries.

Bitter orange is grown in Asia and parts of the Mediterranean. Neroli oil is obtained from the flowers of bitter orange.

Oil of bitter orange extensively used as a flavor in most food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, confectionary, baked goods, gelatins and puddings., soaps and detergents.

Bitter orange has been used traditionally as a sedative, an appetite stimulant, an insecticide for mosquitoes and for Tinea infections and dyspepsia.

Bitter orange is being used by some individuals for weight loss. In Puerto Rico, Citrus aurantium is used for sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory ailments, and raised blood pressure.
Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.)

Garlic as cooking ingredient

Garlic originally grew in south central Asia. Garlic was carried out migrating populations all around the Mediterranean. Garlic is an Anglo-Saxon word that mean ‘spear-leek’: a leek with a slim, pointed leaf blade rather than a broad, open one.

Early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used garlic as both medicine and food.

Garlic became sweet when it is cooked and bitter when it is burned. If garlic is peeled, chopped and then allowed to set for ten to fifteen minutes before cooking, the anticancer agents S-allyl cysteine and diallyl disulfide will for.

When roasted, garlic mellows and acquires a sweeter, richer character. Both healthful and aromatic, this ingredient is truly one of the secrets of fat-free Italian cooking.

Garlic can be roasted either in whole head or in individual cloves. Whole roasted garlic head make an outstanding appetizer – the soft, caramelized pulp can be squeezed onto warm, crusty bread instead of butter. It also can be added to recipes.

Good garlic is very hard, that looks like it’s about to burst out of its skin. The best garlic is often found at farmer’s markets and is often hard core variety; the bulbs arranged around a stiff central shaft.
Garlic as cooking ingredient

Basil – herb of the mint family

Basil is a leafy herb of the mint family that grown primarily in Egypt and the United States. Most types have shiny, light green leaves and a pungent, slightly sweet aroma.

Its relation to the mint family is obvious, since basil possesses a minty flavor and odor.

The fresh leaves are about 5 cm ling and 2 cm wide. At home, it has become one of the popular herbs on the garden and in the kitchen.

Basil is one of the most widely used herbs for seasoning tomatoes and tomato sauces, basil plays a key role in Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern cuisine.

The favor of basil depends not only on the variety, but on growing conditions and the stage at which it is harvested. It has a rich and spicy, mildly peppery flavor with a trace of mint and clove. For the best flavor use fresh leaves, but frozen and dried leaves are acceptable.

Basil particularly complements the flavor of garlic and olives. It is also pleasing combined with lemon.
Basil – herb of the mint family 

The Benefits of Flavor

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

Flavor

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

Celery Seed

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

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

Components and usage of Coriander Oil

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

Caraway and Caraway Seed

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

Allspice or (Pimento)

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)

Spices, Herbs and Flavor

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