Types of Culinary Herbs
From the time people first discovered that some plants were not only edible but also added flavor, people have added the leaves, stems, roots and flowers of various plants to their food. Because some herbs also have antibacterial and preservative effects, they allowed people to eat food that would otherwise have been inedible due to spoilage. Culinary herb flavors range from subtle to savory, sweet to bitter or piquant, making it easy to tell one region's cuisine from another's.
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Florals
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Make teas, jellies, cake decorations and sauces from lavender flowers, rose petals, apple blossoms and rose hips. Season rice and chicken dishes with saffron, the stigma of the spring crocus. Stir-fry dandelion heads. Add marigold, carnation, chrysanthemum or daisy petals to soups, or sprinkle them over pasta and salads. You can also use them to make herb butters and infused oils.
Sweet Herbs
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Angelica's sweet leaves blend well with red currants, rhubarb, gooseberries and red plums, balancing their sour flavor when making sauces, jams and jellies. Crystallize angelica stems to garnish fancy pastries. Use crushed juniper berries to flavor gin, sauerkraut, ham, venison and other wild game, but you must take care to use only berries that have been identified by an experienced herbalist, as some species of juniper are toxic. English- and Welsh-native melilot, or sweet clover, has a honey-almond flavor. Use its leaves to flavor gruyere and Schabzieger cheeses and beer.
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Digestives
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Ginger and parsley have eased nausea and stomach complaints for centuries. Fresh, crystallized, powdered, pickled or preserved in sherry or other alcohols, ginger root adds a light, sweet heat and a mild, stomach-calming effect to any dish. Parsley's clean, green flavor freshens breath and eases bloating. Mexico's contribution, epazote, is less common than ginger or parsley. Epazote makes bean dishes less likely to cause bloating and reduces the acid content of tomato-based sauces. A pinch of epazote will season 1 to 2 quarts of sauce or beans. Take care not to use more than a pinch or two of this slightly bitter, lemony herb, as epazote can make you very ill in larger doses.
Regional Herbs
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Mediterranean cuisine would not taste nearly as delicious without such herbs as rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano and lavender, which are often combined in a blend known as herbes de Provence. These herbs, along with basil, garlic and onion, are mainstays of Greek and Italian cuisine. A second blend, known as fine herbs, includes parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon, dill and mint, and are more widely used in northern France. Fine herbs season sauces, fish, chicken, salad dressings and omelets without overpowering the delicate flavors of the main ingredients of each dish. Chinese cuisine gets its savory flavor from 5-spice powder, a blend of ground cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns.
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References
- Photo Credit kitchen herbs image by PhotographerOne from Fotolia.com
