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Historical Overview of Spices Recipes Herbs |
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Historical Overview of Spices, Herbs and Aromatics
It is perhaps not an exaggeration to say that spices have had a greater impacton the world than any other foodstuff Fragrant cloves with their woody over tones, heady sweet cardamom, pungent black pepper, the nutmeg whose complex flavours burst forth when grated—all these and other ...
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Buying and Storing Herbs and Aromatics
For maximum flavour, cooks in Southeast Asia like to have fresh herbs growing in their garden. This is possible even in an apartment, as many local herbs grow happily in pots. With increasing urbanisation, however, many cooks have to make do with buying herbs in the markets and supermarkets. M ...
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Equipment and utensils
Spices sold throughout Southeast Asia are generally available loose at a spice merchant or market, or packaged in either glass jars (these are most likely imported) or in cellophane bags. As there is usually a considerable turnover of spices, they are generally fr ...
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 | Fenugreek
Fenugreek originated in the eastern Mediterranean, where the plant was used as animal fodder by the Greeks (the botanical name, foenum-graecum, means "Greek hay"). ...
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 | Cassia
Somewhat confushingly, the spice commonly sold in Southeast Asia a cinnamon is not true cinnamon (C. zeylanciaum) but cassia, from a related species. True cinnamon, the dried, bark of a tree native to Sri Lanka, consists of ...
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 | Mint
Mint is a temperate climate herb more commonly associated with Western cooking. A number of varieties are found in Europe, including peppermint, spearmint, apple mint and even eau de cologne mint. &n ...
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 | Indian Borage
This fleshy-leafed herb, thought to be native to India, grows wild in Malaysia. It is easily cultivated and found in pots or planted in kitchen gardens in some other parts of Southeast Asia. Interestingly, it is also found in Austral ...
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 | Star Anise
This Chinese spices considerably more pungent than the similarly flavoured European spice, anise, just as Chinese cassia is like a stronger version of cinnamon. In fact, star anise contains the same essential oil, anethole, as the tr ...
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 | Brasil
Three varieties of the wonderfully fragrant herb—basil—are found in tropical Asia. Identification by name can be somewhat confusing in Malaysia and Indonesia, as the names kemangi and selasih are often used interchan ...
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 | Asam Gelugor
This fruit, which is native to Peninsular Malaysia, is a member of the Garcinai family, a family which also includes the highly prized fruit, the mangosteen. The small round fruits of asam gelugor, which does not have a common Englis ...
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 | Lemon Grass
The distinctive lemony fragrance of this grass, which is related to citronella, is a hallmark of much Southeast Asian cuisine. Lemon grass grows readily in almost any soil, its bulbs and leaves constantly multiplying. It is easily gr ...
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 | Melinjo
A native of Southeast Asia, the melinjo tree is found wild in the forests, and is also cultivated in some areas. The leaves arc treated as a herb and a vegetable, although their use is very localised. There does not appear to he a co ...
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 | Candlenut
This waxy, beige nut, a native of Malaysia and Indonesia, is related to the Queensland Bush Nut, which is better known internationally as the macadamia. (Perhaps to the chagrin of the Australians, the macadamia, which is an excellent ...
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 | Mustard Seed (Brown)
Three types of mustard plant produce seeds. The very pungent black mustard (Brassica nigra) is native to Europe and was traditionally used in making the condiment, mustard. The very best French mustard from Dijon still uses this ...
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 | Annatto
The annatto, a native of tropical America, was introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish. It has spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, where it is a common shrub, grown for its decorative furry red seed pods which look somewhat ...
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