Archive for the ‘encyclopeadia’ Category

Used in cooking since 600 b.c., turmeric is the root of a tropical plant related to ginger. Though native to the Orient, this spice is now also cultivated in India and the Caribbean. It has a bitter, pungent flavor and an intense yellow−orange color. In Biblical times, turmeric was often used to make perfume, a [...]

Thyme is an essential herb for any herb garden whether you are a beginner or a pro. It’s easy to grow and maintain when placed in full sun, with light dry soil. It’s a Mediterranean plant so it needs a lot of heat to flourish, but yet it can survive even Zone 5 winters. Harvest [...]

Narrow, pointed,dark green leaves distinguish this perennial aromatic herb known for its distinctive anise like flavor. Tarragon is widely used in classic French cooking for a variety of dishes including chicken, fish and vegetables, as well as many sauces, the best known being Bearnaise. It’s also an integral ingredient in various herbal combinations such as [...]

This native Mediterranean herb has been enjoyed for centuries for both its culinary and medicinal uses. The name comes from a derivative of the Latin salvus , meaning “safe,” a reference to the herb’s believed healing powers. The narrow, oval, gray−green leaves of this pungent herb are slightly bitter and have a musty mint taste [...]

It’s no wonder that saffron — the yellow−orange stigmas from a small purple crocus (Crocus sativus )— is the world’s most expensive spice. Each flower provides only three stigmas, which must be carefully hand−picked and then dried — an extremely labor−intensive process. It takes over 14,000 of these tiny stigmas for each ounce of saffron. [...]

Used since 500 b.c., rosemary is native to the Mediterranean area (where it grows wild) but is now cultivated throughout Europe and the United States. Early on, this mint−family member was used to cure ailments of the nervous system. Rosemary’s silver−green, needle−shaped leaves are highly aromatic and their flavor hints of both lemon and pine. [...]

Most cooks today don’t appreciate the plentiful and inexpensive supply of a spice that was once so valuable and rare itwas sometimes used as currency. Its merit was so high that many of the European sailing expeditions during the 15th century were undertaken with the main purpose of finding alternate trade routes to the Far [...]

Used as a seasoning and garnish for a plethora of savory dishes, paprika is a powder made by grinding aromatic sweet red pepper pods. The pods are quite tough, so several grindings are necessary to produce the proper texture. The flavor of paprika can range from mild to pungent and hot, the color from bright [...]

Oregano is an herb everyone is familiar with in some form or another. It’s an easy to grow perennial with some controversy surrounding it. I was told long ago that true oregano has white flowers, but many times we end up with a plant that has pinkish flowers. This is actually wild marjoram. I have [...]