Herbs & Spices

 

Herbs and spices add flavour and colour to food, transforming simple dishes into culinary delights. ButcherSA looks at a list of herbs and spices and their usages to inspire our readers with new ideas for old favourites.

 

The best way to test spices and herbs for seasoning food is to taste them, then taste the food you’re about to season. The stronger the taste, the less you should use. Less is definitely more: The main idea to bear in mind when seasoning is that you want to achieve a balance of flavours.

Bear in mind that cayenne and fresh chillies become stronger over time and what you think isn’t that hot now will have much more bite later. Also, there is such a thing as too much garlic, as it can overpower other herbs and spices.

Allspice: whole – in meats, boiled fish, pickled fish, pickles, marinades, chutneys and gravies

Aniseed: in polony, frankfurter and pepperoni seasonings, stews and Cape Malay curry blends

Basil: in meatballs, tomatoe sauces, pesto, pasta and on pizza and in salads

Bay leaves: in corned beef, chicken loaf, soups, casseroles and pickled food

Bell peppers: a decorative food in meat products, sauces, pizza toppings and salad dressings

Caraway seed: in bread, loaf cake, cheese spreads and casseroles. The seeds can be sprinkled on delicatessen prepared meats.

Cardamom seed: Whole for pickling; ground for polony, knackwurst, liverwurst and frankfurter and in curries

Cayenne (red) pepper: in hot, spicy dishes such as chillibites, curries and Breyani; polony, frankfurters, liverwurst and pepperoni

Celery adds zest to meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, salads, vegetables, sauces, soups and stews.

Chilli is ground and blended for meat, sauces and soups. The powder is used in hot dishes, meat, seafood, eggs and stews.

Cinnamon: ground – baked goods and desserts, blood sausage and boiled ham. Whole – pickling, preserving and in stewing fruits

Cloves: ground – in polony, mortadella, boerewors and tomato sauces. Whole – for pickling fruits, spicing syrups, studding pork and ham roasts

Coriander seed, important in pickling, is used to season biltong, boerewors, curries and Polish sausage.

Cumin seed: Mexican dishes, curry, meat loaves and soups. Try in atchaar and shwarmas.

Dill seed: pickles, cheese spreads and salad dressings; liverwurst and frankfurters

Fennel: fish dishes, bread, soups and salads

Fenugreek: Basic ingredient in most curries and flavourant in certain cheeses

Garlic: Meat, soups, spaghetti dishes and sauces

Ginger: ground – polony, frankfurters, salami and pork sausage; whole – pickling, chutneys, conserves, and baked and stewed fruits

Mace: ground – polony, bratwurst, pork sausage, knackwurst, baked goods, pastries; whole – for pickling, and in fish, fish sauce and stewed fruit

Marjoram: Sprinkled on lamb while roasting; in stews, soups, poultry and fish sauces

Mint flakes: veal and lamb roasts; adds colour and taste to ice cream, fruit salad and custards

Mustard seed: ground – to flavour meat, sauces, gravies, mayonnaise, frankfurters, salami and liverwurst; whole – in making pickles, relishes and chutneys

Nutmeg: ground – polony, frankfurters, viennas, boerewors, pork sausage, salami

Onion salt and flakes can be used in practically any dish where the flavour of onion is required.

Oregano leaves: meat, stuffings, sauces and vegetables; important in Italian cuisine

Paprika adds colour and flavour to eggs, cheese dishes, seafood, salads and vegetables.

Parsley flakes: seasoning and garnish for meat, fish, soups, salad, vegetables and sauces

Pepper (black and white): ground – boerewors, mettwurst, salami, pepperoni and pastrami; whole – pickles, soups and meat

Rosemary leaves: for flavouring lamb, beef, soups, stew, fish, meat stocks and boiled potatoes

Sage leaves: flavour for poultry, pork, meat loaf, stews, hamburger, meatballs and pickles

Savory: meat, poultry, dressings and sauces

Sesame seed: sprinkled on breads, biscuits and vegetables; used in casseroles and pastries

Thyme: Stews, soups, meat, eggs and tomato dishes; sprinkle on sliced tomatoes, stuffings, boerewors and liver spreads

Turmeric: for pickling, and making piccalilli, relishes, mustard and curry dishes

Suppliers in South Africa include –

Crown National, Exim International, Deli Spices, Golden Spices, Cape Herbs & Spices, Freddy Hirsch, Robertsons Spices, GR Spices and Flavour Pack to name but a few.