The author of the text is MSc. Beata Romanowska
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of vegetable spices. They not only increase the taste and aroma of dishes, but also have a beneficial effect on our digestive system - they stimulate and tone the work of muscles, improve the absorption of ingredients from food and facilitate digestion.They also protect the digestive tract, protecting it against the development of pathogenic bacteria, because most spices have bactericidal properties.
Some of the strongest antiseptics are garlic and onion, followed by allspice, thyme, cinnamon, cardanom, cumin and cloves.But these are not all the advantages of spices - through the senses of taste and smell, chemical compounds contained in plant additives affect the nervous system, significantly improving our well-being.In addition, spices preserve food, they also have antispasmodic, carminative and healing effects.
The main spice groups are:
• spices - with a sharp taste and strong aroma, most often imported from Asia. This group includes: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, vanilla, ginger, pepper, paprika, laurel;
• vegetable spices: onion, garlic, horseradish, parsley, chives, celery;
• herbal spices: cumin, basil, marjoram, thyme, savory, lovage, tarragon;
• essential oils extracted from plants.
By dividing into the parts of plants that are used as spices (both fresh and dried), we have a complete morphological profile at our disposal. These are leaves, buds, flowers, roots, rhizomes, tubers, seeds, fruits, bark.They are sold in whole or in varying degrees of granularity (as granules, flakes or powder). Often the form of comminution determines the use, e.g. anise is available as star-shaped follicles (fruit) or ground.
Biodynamic crops have shown that plant growth depends not only on soil quality and location, but also on the proximity of other plant species.It turns out that herbs, including spices, improve the quality of plants growing next to them.And so basil has a positive effect on the development of brassica, savory - onions and beans. Garlic and parsley should be planted among roses and tomatoes, hyssop under grapevines, mint next to beans.
Single species spices
In the past, more herbs were used, today, popular spices that grow in our climate zone, belong primarily to aromatic families with a high content of essential oils - labiatae: hyssop, basil, thyme, rosemary, savory, tarragon, lemon balm , mint, sage, marjoram, marjoram, and Umbellifer's umbellate: lovage, fennel, angelica, celery, cumin, cumin, coriander, parsley.
In the garden of less popular spices, it is worth planting fenugreek (synonym for Greek fenugreek), Trigolella foenum-graecum.It is an annual plant, growing in fertile, well-drained soils in sunny positions.It is grown by sowing directly into the ground in April.
It grows up to 50 cm high.The spice consists of seeds with a rather unpleasant smell, which, however, under the influence of high temperature (roasting) turns into a spicy one.Fenugreek seeds contain many different compounds, incl. proteins, lipids, steroids, lecithins, vitamins PP, D3 in a biologically active form and minerals - K, Na. Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, S, P. It is used for fish, cottage cheese, but most often in mixtures.
Original spices are fresh flowers, e.g. borage, pansy, marigold. They are added to salads and cold meats.The visual effect is the most important here, although the taste is also important, e.g. borage is slightly sour and, as the name suggests, cucumber flavor.Remember that using herbs from your own garden is only possible in areas with little environmental pollution.
Spice mixtures are so valuable that it is in them that the action of individual ingredients is enhanced. Today we can easily buy various mixtures of herbs and spices or use our own imagination and compose completely new sets of unique flavors and aromas.
How to preserve herbs?
The stores offer:
• an old Polish spice, whose taste and smell refer to the old days, but is adapted to modern tastes.Contains marjoram, coriander, sweet and hot peppers, black pepper, cumin, rosemary.
• Indian mixes give great flavor to vegetarian dishes, they can also be used with meats. The basic blend is garam masala, consisting of coriander, cumin, black pepper, cardamom (fruit), cloves, and cinnamon.In India, it is prepared fresh by roasting pepper, cumin and coriander, then adding the remaining ingredients and grating in a mortar.
• curry - as experts describe, it is "the taste of India for export". That is why it has a different composition, most often it contains turmeric, ginger and cardanom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, feathers, cinnamon.
• Arabic, eg zatar contains oregano, vinegar sumac, whole roasted sesame seeds. Also suitable for vegetarian dishes.
• Provencal herbs is a blend from the French Mediterranean regions. Contains thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano, basil.
• Bulgarian czubrica - savory, pepper, s alt.
For centuries, spices were imported from distant parts of the world, so their prices were very high, e.g.in ancient Rome one pound of cinnamon had to be paid five kilograms of silver!No wonder that such rarities were available only to crowned headsToday each of us can enjoy them. Even a sash, although it is the most expensive spice in the world.
Plant parts used as spices
• Leaves- basil, mugwort, savory, tarragon, chrysanthemum, hyssop, dill, bloodwort, marjoram, marjoram, lemon balm, mint, pepper, parsley, nettle, purslane, rosemary, rape, watercress, sage, chives, thyme, laurel.
•seeds- black seeds, nutmeg, mustard, cardamom, fenugreek, almonds.
•roots- horseradish, ginger, lovage, turmeric.
•bark- cinnamon.
•fruit- star anise, poor anise, juniper, coriander, fennel, lovage, pepper, pepper, vanilla, allspice.
•flowers- pansy, geranium, meadow carnations
- buds, caper - buds, calendula, nasturtium, nasturtium
- buds, borage, rose petals, chives, daisy - flowers, saffron - pistil stigmas.
