About Culinary Garnishes

Culinary garnishes can change an ordinary meal or drinks into a work of art. For centuries they have ranged from the bland piece of parsley on top of a steakhouse T-bone to an ornate and colorful edible floral arrangement aside your sirloin.

Function

The simplest culinary garnish is parsley. It is widely used because of its deep green color and ready availability. Parsley, although not a fancy garnish, can be eaten after dinner to freshen breath.

Types

Several edible garnishes can be used to decorate your food or beverage tray.
Popular herb garnishes include parsley, basil, thyme and rosemary.
Popular fruit garnishes include apples, kiwi, maraschino cherries, fresh cherries, orange peel, lemon peel, lemons, oranges, grapes, star fruit, strawberries, bananas, blackberries and raspberries.
Vegetable garnishes include, but are not limited to, cocktail onions, celery stalks, lettuce, tomatoes and olives.
Edible floral garnishes include the apple blossom, marigolds, carnations, chrysanthemums, chamomile, citrus blossoms, dandelion leaves, elderberry, hibiscus, honeysuckle, hyacinth, jasmine, lavender, sage blossoms, roses, petunia, primrose and sunflower petals.

Significance

Culinary garnishes are used to bring color to the dinner plate. This is often done by using a garnish of a color that contrasts with the meal that is being presented.
Adding height and depth to your dish is another reason garnish is used. This can be as simple as presenting a hamburger patty on a bed of lettuce or as complicated as a steak with an edible herb salad with goat cheese on top.
Culinary garnishes should always be made with ingredients that are not only edible, but also complement the meal you are about to eat. This is why you will see capers resting on top of a salmon or chopped peanuts on top of various ethnic cuisines.

Misconceptions

Culinary garnishes have a different meaning when it comes to soups. Not only do culinary garnishes cover the croutons, basil leaves and chopped chives that may grace the top of the soup, but they also refer to anything that is added to the broth. In a simple minestrone soup, the vegetables that are diced and added to the soup base as well as the noodles would be considered garnishes.

Warning

Do not use garnishes to disguise poor food quality. Garnishes are meant to enhance your meal, not to cover up mistakes.
Garnishes should always complement the meal. You would not serve a radish garnish with a piece of chocolate cake.
Garnishes should be smaller than the meal. Do not let your garnish be overwhelming enough to overshadow the taste of your main course.

Resources

• Garnishing Primer