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Health bombs!

My kitchen cupboard is full of herbs and spices. I can’t live without it. They make food delicious! You don’t need much of it to get a big difference in taste.

Herbs and spices are also very healthy. They contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than fruit and vegetables. That’s why complementary medicine is based on herbs. Our current medication was this as well, but money comes first…

Herbs can be anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antibacterial and contain antioxidants. Vitamins and minerals commonly found in fresh herbs and spices are: vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, chromium and selenium. Bioactive substances are also antioxidants. These are substances that can have a positive influence on your health and well-being. Examples include caffeine, co-enzyme Q 10, creatine, prebiotic and choline.

 

 

Some of the great health benefits of herbs and spices are:

Stimulating overall mental health.

Helps regulate bowel movements.

Reduce the risk of cancer.

Helps to reduce inflammation.

Can support cardiovascular health.

Helps fight infections against bacteria and fungi.

If you want to enrich your meal with these health bombs, it is important to combine them well. Precisely because the taste can be strong and dominant.

For me it is obvious which herbs I combine to give a dish a certain taste. So I was surprised when people around me told me it was hard to find. Therefore, this blog on how to combine herbs.

Where do herbs and spices originally come from.

In the VOC era, spices were found in Asia, the Middle East and North East Africa. 70% of the spices come from India, the soil has the ideal quality for cumin, cardamom, pepper, turmeric and chilli. Countries where the spices and herbs came from soon realized that their goods were worth a lot of money. This drove up the price. And the kitchen gold was richly imported.

 

The difference between a spice or a herb.

There is a difference, but often the two are used interchangeably and for each other, and that is not a problem.

Spices

The collective name for some aromatic plant parts, such as fruits, leaves, seeds, roots and bark, are called spices. They usually originate from tropical or subtropical areas.

There are many different types of spices, with different flavors and more and more of these products are more readily available such as: cinnamon, clove, saffron, turmeric, ginger and mustard seeds.

Herbs

The green part of small plants there is actually meant herbs. They grow in countries with a moderate climate.

The stems and chlorophyll of these plants are used as seasoning, such as: basil, rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano.

What is nice about herbs is that you can easily keep them yourself in your garden or on your balcony. So you always have fresh herbs at hand.

In the freezer you can keep them well if you have the herbs after use.

Worldly taste combinations

In the past, we mainly used Dutch cuisine. Pepper, salt, cloves and nutmeg. Fortunately, nowadays we dare to take a step outside our comfort zone and we increasingly use herbs and spices from exotic countries.

Because herbs and spices have a very strong taste, it is often difficult to combine them and what fits together.

That’s why I’ve included the tastes and products that are really specific to a particular kitchen in this blog. This makes it easier to combine spices.

Be creative and experiment to give your dish that exotic touch.

Asian cuisine

Is one of the oldest, and is spicy and diverse but especially hot and sharp. Luckily you can adjust it to how you like it.

The flavours of Asian cuisine are very refreshing. The Japanese, Thai, Indase and Chinese cuisine each have their own palette of flavours.

Besides flavoring food, spices are also used for medical purposes.

I love the flavours of the Far East!

Spices from the Asian kitchen in general:
Turmeric, ginger, mace, cardamom, chilli, lemongrass, garlic, cinnamon, lime leaves, star anise, paprika, cumin, coriander, coconut, fennel seed, cloves, sesame seed, mint, Nigella pepper varieties and mineral salt.

Specific herbs and spices: 

? Indian cuisine : turmeric, curry, coconut (milk), chilli, cardamom coriander. garlic, lemon rind, lemon-lemon rind.

? Japanese cuisine: The Japanese cuisine is pure and fine in taste: sesame, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander, chilli, pepper, cardamom, cumin, allspice.

? Thai cuisine: lemongrass, lime leaves, lemon leaves, turmeric, coconut, (milk), red, green peppers, ginger, Thai basil, lemon basil tamarind, curry, garlic, cumin seed.

? Chinese cuisine: 5-spices > cinnamon, star anise, szechuan pepper, fennel and cloves. Garlic, ginger
Products: miso, soy, shiitake mushrooms, wasabi.
Oil = olive, coconut, sesame oil, avocado oil

The Arabian cuisine

Has for me the taste of 1001 nights. It is a fantastic cuisine with a warm specific taste. It uses many different herbs and spices. Ras el Hanout is a herbal combination with a combination of 18 different spices together. Cinnamon, cumin, saffron are the flavours that stand out.

Arabian cuisine: coriander, cinnamon, chilli, ginger, cumin, caraway, anise, fennel, saffron, turmeric, nutmeg, galangal, star anise, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, lavender, rosebuds, orange blossom water, sesame, sumac, paprika, thyme and mint.

The above herbs are easy to combine and give the warm Arabic taste.

Be careful with the rose water and lavender this can quickly dominate.
Oil = olive oil, argan oil, avocado oil

The Turkish kitchen

Has many influences from all over the world and is diverse in his use of herbs. The kitchen is very similar to the Greek kitchen but has its own special combinations of Mediterranean and Eastern influences.

Turkish cuisine: dill, mint, cayenne pepper, garlic, cumin, parsley, coriander, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, basil, sumak nutmeg, pepper red and sweet, cinnamon, allspice, anise, saffron, turmeric, ginger, caraway seed
Oil = olive oil

The Mediterranean kitchen

This delicious South European cuisine is known and has its own specific taste. It is an accessible kitchen with light fresh flavors. The sun and the sea make this picture complete.

 Mediterranean cuisine: Thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, basil, sage, dill, lavender and garlic. Tomatoes and olives are indispensable in this kitchen. Oils: Olive oil, walnut oil

The South American kitchen

This of original Indian and Inca cuisine has been strongly influenced by the arrival of the Portuguese and Spaniards. Also the African cuisine has had its influence here. I have for you a few typical and dominant flavors in a row put together for inspiration.

Mexican cuisine: (smoked) peppers, cumin, chilli, garlic, oregano, coriander, and parsley lime. Oil = avocado and olive oil

Surinamese: Turmeric, cumin, fennel, peppers, ginger, mace, fenugreek, cinnamon, fennel, pepper, cardamom and coriander.

 

Peruvian: Huacatay (Peruvian black mint) yacon, all kinds of peppers, coriander, turmeric, cumin, lemon leaves and ginger.

As far as I am concerned, tiger milk is best known from Peruvian cuisine. It is a marinade in which you can cook fish.

The main ingredients of tiger milk are: ginger, garlic, coriander, lime juice, madame Jeanette, red pepper, red onion and salt. The recipe can be found here: Chiviche for beginners

These were the taste combinations of all corners of the world.

This doesn’t all fit in my spice cupboard.

Now you may think you should have all these herbs in your kitchen closet, but fortunately there are already mixed herbs that will help you on your way.

If you have 4 in the house, you’re already a long way away!
For example: provincial spice mix, mild curry Bombay, Ras-el-hanout royal and a Green curry as a basis.

I buy Japanese products at Flair for Flavor. The products that are sold here are really selected with care. Pure beautiful products.

The basic herbs in my kitchen

I have the following basic herbs in my closet: Oregano, turmeric, curry, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, paprika pepper, savory, Celtic sea salt.

Fresh I always have: Garlic, shallots, onion, lime, lemon, ginger, coriander, turmeric and basil at home.

For your convenience, I have a list of which herbs go with which ones.

Meat: salt and pepper thyme, oregano, coriander, parsley.

In stew: cloves, laurel and a few strong herbs of the taste group you want. You can go on the oriental side or the Mediterranean.

Poultry: pepper salt thyme, oregano, coriander, parsley curry, paprika, ginger, hot pepper, lemongrass, lime leaves.

Fish: Dill, parsley, thyme, chervil, oregano, tarragon, curry.

Lamb: rosemary, thyme, mint, basil, sage, oregano and marjoram.
or a combination of: sereh, horseradish, garlic, onion, mustard and honey.

Wild: thyme, juniper, bay leaf, pepper, ginger, coriander, cloves, carrots, parsnip, parsley, leek, celery, pepper.

I think we now have everything complete when it comes to herbs, spices and other seasonings.

Start experimenting. As long as you think about using strong herbs in moderation, little can go wrong. Because if it starts to dominate, it’s really not good.

It’s better to add it if necessary.

This was my blog about spices and herbs, my present to you. Did you like the blog? Then pass it on as a gift to someone else!

With love, Pammela