SEASONING, FLAVORING,HERBS AND SPICES

It is hard to imagine what cooking would be like without the

unique flavors provided by herbs, spices, and the many seasonings
available.
 SEASONING
Seasoning is process of imparting flavor to, or improving
the flavor of food.
Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a food or
other substance, and is determined mainly by the
chemical senses of taste and smell. The "trigeminal
senses", which detect chemical irritants in
the mouth and throat as well as temperature and texture,
are also very important to the flavor perception. The flavor
of the food, as such, can be altered with natural or
artificial flavorants, which affect these senses.
Larousse Gastronomique states that "to season and to
flavor are not the same thing“
TYPES OF SEASONING
 Saline seasonings—Salt, spiced salt , smoked salt.
 Acid seasonings—Plain vinegar (sodium acetate), or same
aromatized with tarragon; verjuice(acidic juice made by
pressing unripe grapes) , lemon and orange juices.
 Hot seasonings—Peppercorns, ground or coarsely chopped
pepper, or mignonette pepper; paprika, curry, cayenne, and
mixed pepper spices.
 Saccharine seasonings—Sugar, honey.
 Oil infusion-Infused oils are also used for seasoning. There are
two methods for doing an infusion — hot and cold. Olive
oil makes a good infusion base for some herbs, but tends to
go rancid more quickly than other oils. Infused oils should be
kept refrigerated.
 In some cultures, meat and vegetables may be seasoned by
pouring sauce over the dish at the table. A variety of seasoning
techniques exist in various cultures.
TYPES OF Food FLAVORING
 Flavorings are used as food additives for altering and/or enhancing
the flavors of natural food products. Sometimes, food flavorings are
also used to create flavor for food products that do not have desired
flavors such as candies and other snacks. There are three major types
of food flavorings that are used in foods. These types of flavorings
are mostly used as criteria for food regulatory purposes in European
Union and Australia. In North America, the classification of
flavorings is done as - Natural flavorings and Synthetic flavorings.
The Synthetic flavorings there include both artificial and nature-
identical flavorings.
 Natural flavoring substances: Flavoring substances that are
obtained from plant or animal raw materials, by physical,
microbiological or enzymatic processes are classified as natural
flavoring substances. These natural flavorings can be either used in
their natural form or processed form for consumption by human
beings. However, they cannot contain any nature-identical or
artificial flavoring substances.
TYPES OF Food FLAVORING
Nature-identical flavoring substances: Nature-identical
substances are the flavoring substances that are obtained by
synthesis or are isolated through chemical processes, which are
chemically identical to flavoring substances naturally present in
products intended for consumption by human beings. These
flavorings cannot contain any artificial flavoring substances.

Artificial flavoring substances: Flavoring substances that are

not identified in a natural product intended for consumption by
human being- whether or not the product is processed- are
artificial flavoring substances. These food flavorings are typically
produced by fractional distillation and additional chemical
manipulation naturally sourced chemicals or from crude oil or
coal tar.
Chemicals Associated With Particular Flavors

Allylpyrazine- Roasted nut

Methoxypyrazines- Earthy vegetables
2-Isobutyl-3 Methoxypyrazine-Green pepper
Acetyl-L-Pyrazines-Popcorn
2AcetoxyPyrazine -Toasted flavors
Aldehydes- Fruity, green
Alcohols – Bitter,medicinal
Esters - Fruity
Ketones- Butter, caramel
Pyrazines- Brown, burnt, caramel,
Phenolics Medicinal,smokey
Terpenoids- Citrus, piney
 Function of Salt in Cooking
 Salt also inhibits bacterial growth
 Salts enhance flavour of food
 Preservatives
 Firms the texture of meat
 Hardens the rind in cheese
 Extract the proteins in processed meats, providing
strength between individual pieces and act as a
binder
 Control fermentation by retarding the process
involved
 Establish the develop colour: ham, sauerkraut etc.
 Guidelines to Follow
when Seasoning
Use fine flakes of naturally produced salt as less is needed
Remember to taste your food during the cooking process to
monitor the development of the flavour
You can always add salt, but never take it away!
Correct the seasoning at serving temperature. The optimum
temperature at which the taste buds are most active is 20-40 *
Celsius, with the sweetness emphasized at the lower end of the
range and savoury and bitter at the higher end.
Never add the salt at the beginning!!!
Never add salt to meat at the beginning! Add the salt at middle
or at the end of cooking
Take care :the vegetables soak the salt !!!!
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HERBS

Basil Chervil Chives Garlic Chives Cilantro

Chives Mint Oregano Tarragon Thyme

Sage Rosemary Lemon Grass Parsley Marjoram

 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPICES

Black Peppercorns Sichuan Celery seeds Dill seeds Coriander

Cloves Nutmeg All spice Cinnamon Juniper berries

Cardamom Saffron Star anise Cumin Fennel seed

 Guidelines for Using
Herbs and Spices
Be familiar with each spice's aroma, flavor, and effect
on food.
Store dried herbs and spices in a cool place, tightly
covered in opaque containers. Heat, light, and
moisture cause herbs and spices to deteriorate rapidly.
Don't use stale spices and herbs, and don't buy more
than you can use in about six months. Whole spices
keep longer than ground, but both lose much flavor
after six months.
Be cautious after you have replaced old spices. The
fresher product are more potent, so the amount you
used before might now be too much.