It seems to be an ongoing controversy – is it best to use whole spices or ground? Dried herbs or fresh?

There are strong arguments on all sides of the issue, but when asking this question, the best answer is “all of the above” – for different types of cooking and food preparation. It can also depend a great deal upon the time of the year; after all, many herbs are perennials that die back at the end of each growing season – meaning that in its fresh form, it’s probably not available during the winter.

It’s also dependent on whether the food being prepared is fried or baked, and at what temperature. For example, some fresh herbs and spices stand up quite well to the extremely high temperatures involved in Chinese wok stir-frying. On the other hand, when it comes to Italian marinara sauces that simmer for hours over low heat, it’s probably best to use dried herbs rather than the fresh variety. The reason here is that dried herbs ultimately explode into microscopic particles during the simmering process, actually fusing with the tomatoes on a molecular level as they cook down into sauce. Fresh herbs in this case would likely turn into soggy little bits.

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Starwest Botanicals continues to improve it’s commitment to providing an outstanding selection of quality bulk herbs and spices with the addition of 40 new products to their site and catalog. Highlights of these new products include gourmet salts, organic seasoning blends, organic and bulk herbs and natural body care products.

Gourmet Salts
Our latest selection of gourmet salts is truly unique and is sure to appeal to those in search of culinary treasures. Among the new additions you will find a wide selection of products that are truly singular, such as our favorite, Yakima Sea Salt. Sweet, aged applewood from the Yakima Valley gives this salt it’s unique flavor. We also highly enjoy the Himalayan salt, harvested from the heart of the Himalayan Mountains. Having formed over the last 250 million years, it is an amazingly pure salt-untouched by pollutants and toxins. We are also proud to carry the Hiwa Kai Sea Salt, a unique Hawaiian salt that has a stunning black color and silky texture.

Culinary lovers will want to be sure to visit the bulk herbs and spices page of our site to find these and many other outstanding organic salts and sea salts. Read the rest of this entry »

Many Mexicans who experience what is considered a “Mexican restaurant” in El Norte generally have the same criticism: es demasiado genérico (”it’s too generic”).

It is true that there are dishes common to the entire nation, such as frijoles and enchiladas rojas y verde. However, Mexican cuisine is strongly regional, and differences in the spices and method of preparation can vary considerably from one region of the county to another.

Why is this? Most of it has to do with geography. The Spaniards gave the indigenous Mexica Indians their language and many elements of their culture, but this influence was uniform. This can be seen today; while urban Mexico City could almost be taken for any European city, there are remote parts of the country where people continue to live in the same manner as ancient Mayan peasants of a thousand years ago. Additionally, Spaniards were not the only Europeans who have settled in Mexico since the 1500s. Like U.S. Americans and Canadians, many Mexicans can trace their ancestry to Germans, Greeks, Irish, Frenchmen and even Lebanese – whose contribution is the taco árabe. During the French occupation of Mexico at the time of Louis Napoleon, Mexican cuisine was heavily influenced by Parisian cooking; the enchilada is basically the French crêpe made with native Mexican food seasonings such as chiles and masa de maiz instead of wheat flour. There is even an Southeast Asian influence on Mexican cuisine dating from the time when the Spanish empire included the Philippines. Read the rest of this entry »

In the philosophy of Tao, the concept of balance between yin and yang – the former representing the feminine as well as dark, cold and wet, and the latter being the manifestation of the masculine, light, heat and dryness – is important. Chinese Five Spice is the culinary reflection of this balance between yin and yang, and encompasses all five of the basic flavors – bitterness, saltiness, savory, sourness and sweetness.

As Chinese people have migrated throughout Asia and the rest of the world, they have carried Chinese five spice powder with them; as a result, these spices in combination can be found in the cuisines of Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and even parts of India. Interestingly, it is unusual to find Chinese five-spice in a family kitchen, although it is a staple in Chinese and Southeast Asian restaurants. It has been reported however that many restaurants in Hawaii that serve Asian cuisine keep it available as a table condiment.

Because the spices traditionally included (which may vary slightly in terms of proportions and exact ingredients from one region to another) include all of the basic flavors, Chinese five spice is equally at home in main dishes as well as desserts. It is a principal ingredient in the marinade used in pork satay as well as traditional Vietnamese broiled chicken; however, there are also recipes available for Chinese five spice cookies and certain types of Western-style pastries such as muffins as well.

Although it can impart an exotic flavor to foods, specific spices used in Chinese five-spice blend are not uncommon. It can either be purchased already pre-made, or if you prefer, you can prepare your own and vary the ingredients according to your own preferences. What follows is a basic recipe.

Basic Cantonese Five Spice Powder

• Four parts black pepper
• Four parts ground fennel
• Four parts ground star anise
• Four parts cinnamon or cassia
• One part ground cloves

Combine these dry ingredients in a bowl and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If using whole peppercorns, you’ll want to grind them first and base your measurement on that.

Before the Industrial Age, spices were a commodity more valuable than gold. Over the centuries, wars have been fought over them; even a substance as simple as salt contributed to the downfall of the British Empire’s power in what is today India and Pakistan. In ancient times, Roman soldiers were paid with salt; this was called their salarium, or “salt allowance,” from which our modern English word salary is derived.

The fact is that many of the roots, herbs, leaves and other substances that are used as seasonings in cooking also have beneficial health effects. This in fact is one of the primary differences between herbal medicine and mainstream medicine; whereas the latter seeks cures for disease, herbalists seek to prevent disease from developing in the first place.

You may be surprised at the many spices used as seasonings for food are also therapeutic! Today, we’ll discuss just a few of these tasty spices that do double duty as medicinal herbs.

Alliuim Sativum

You probably know this one better as garlic. While some people shy away from it because of its strong odor and the danger of (oh, horrors!) garlic breath, the fact is that garlic is almost as basic as salt and pepper. It is a central ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern cuisine as well as that of India, Southeast Asia, China, Korea and Japan. Garlic is a primary ingredient in several native African cuisines, including African Peanut and Chicken Stew. Roasted garlic is extensively in Mexican dishes such as tomato and chile salsa and guacamole. Wild garlic is even used in the national dish of Scotland, haggis!

Garlic has been scientifically proven to work as an antibiotic, helping the body to fight infection1. It is believed to aid circulation and promote cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, however scientific studies on this are as of yet inconclusive.

The Mint Family

Mints include herbs used to flavor desserts and drinks as well as savory dishes; on the sweet side, peppermint and spearmint are a common ingredient in iced teas and candy as well as chewing gum and other desserts. Other mints include oregano and basil, which are staples of Italian and Greek cooking.

As medicinal herbs, members of the mint family are among the oldest, having been used for treating illness as long as 10,000 years ago. Traditionally, mints – particularly peppermint – are used to treat gastro-intestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. An Italian medical study published last year showed that a majority of such patients experienced relief from such symptoms when treated with peppermint oils.

Another interesting aspect of mints in general and peppermint in particular is that their essential oils act as an insect repellent, making them an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.

Licorice

This is actually a legume, related to peas and beans. The dried licorice root is a popular flavoring in candy, tea, gum and sasparilla (known today as “root beer”) and is a main ingredient in the Greek liqueur ouzo. Licorice is traditionally used as an expectorant, and may help in the treatment of peptic ulcers. The boiled root is an ingredient in some Chinese dishes and is chewed in Mediterranean countries as a breath freshener.

Cinnamon

This is the ground bark of a species of laurel native to South Asia. In Western kitchens, it is most often used to flavor sweet pastries and quickbreads, but in Greek, Middle Eastern and Persian cuisine, it is often used in savory dishes as well. Cinnamon is an excellent breath freshener; in addition, some Russian studies suggest that it may be useful in treating Type II diabetes and insulin resistance.

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1. Nicole Johnston “Garlic: A Natural Antibiotic”. Modern Drug Discovery, April 2002.

2. Cappello, G.; et al. “Peppermint oil In The Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Digestive and Liver Disease, 2007.

Fenugreek (Greek Hay) is a unique and versatile seasoning

Its scientific name, trigonella foenum-graecum, literally translates as “three-leaved Greek hay.” In fact, it is one of the spices that are used to flavor that staple of urban Greek street-cuisine, the gyro. In south Asian curries, it is called methi; Arab chefs and housewives call it hilbeh, and it is one of the main seasonings in the Arab pastry of the same name that is traditionally served during Muslim holidays such as Eid and Ramadan. Their cousins, the Hebrews, eat the bitter-tasting seeds during the Jewish New Year, or Rosh Hashannah. The Persian name for it is shambélilé; it is one of four main spices used in the Iranian vegetable stew known as ghormeh sabzi. In the U.S., it is one of the ingredients of artificially-flavored pancake syrup.

If you’ve heard of it, chances are you know it as fenugreek.

For all its obscurity, fenugreek seed is perhaps one of the most versatile spices in the well-stocked kitchen, and has several possible medicinal uses as well. In India, the leaves of the fenugreek plant are eaten in salads, while the ground seeds are used to flavor various kinds of curries as well as some varieties of flatbread, or chapatis. Modern Egyptians boil the seeds then add sugar and serve the beverage as a tea.

In addition to its many uses in the ethnic cuisines of western and south central Asia, fenugreek has been used in folk medicine to aid digestion as well as stimulate milk production in new mothers.

Current studies suggest that the consumption of fenugreek seeds may in fact help diabetics in dealing with their metabolism, and may provide some protection against certain forms of cancer, including those of the breast and the colon.

Some of the most exotic bulk herbs and spices available are not single spices, but rather spice mixtures. Such mixtures such as curry and five-spice often contain the same dried herbs and seasonings spices that are used throughout the world, but in unique combinations that give them flavors all their own.

Sometimes what makes for an exotic taste is not a particular spice, but rather the context in which it is used. For example, basil is a primary ingredient in the Genovese pasta sauce known as pesto; it is also an important component of the Southeast Asian condiment called pho yet they are completely different taste experiences.

Another example may be cinnamon and nutmeg. These salt free seasonings are typically associated with desserts and sweet pastries. However, it is not unusual to find cinnamon used in savory Greek dishes such as moussaka and spanikopita. Nutmeg is an important ingredient in many Indian curries.

Ginger is another “crossover” spice that finds its way into both sweet and savory dishes. Combined with cinnamon and sugar, it is the basic flavoring for treats such as pumpkin pie and ginger bread. However, combined in equal amounts with chili powder and garlic, it is the main spice combination for African Peanut and Chicken Stew, a thick, hearty soup that is probably one of the tastiest uses of peanut butter.

It works both ways, incidentally; there are a few traditionally “savory” spices that find their way into some of the more exotic desserts of the world. According to a 2003 article that appeared in the Washington Post, spices that “typically are associated with savory dishes, such as black pepper, white pepper, saffron and chili…play an important role in dessert dishes, where they offer bold, intriguing accents to the overall flavor and make dessert taste something other than just sweet.” (1) In fact, the ancient Mayan Indians of present-day Mexico and Guatemala drank chocolate with a healthy dash of hot chile pepper. In 1996, two authors named Stock and DeWitt published a cookbook titled Sweet Heat that described over 150 different desserts that contained chile powder and black pepper. Perhaps these desserts are not to everyone’s tastes, but they are certain to be exotic! Starwest Botanicals makes your job as chef even easier by offering a vast selection of bulk spices online.

Buben, Jeff. “A Little Bit of Pepper Spices Up Dessert.” Washington Post, 5 Nov 2003.