T - SPICES, HERBS, AND BLENDS FROM A TO Z - The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs - Padma Lakshmi

The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World - Padma Lakshmi (2016)

SPICES, HERBS, AND BLENDS FROM A TO Z

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PREVIOUS SPREAD, LEFT PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: tamarind, tarragon, Tunisian five-spice mix, thyme, and tabil; RIGHT PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: turmeric (dried and fresh), Madras turmeric, and Alleppey turmeric

TABIL

Tabil is a hot, aromatic Tunisian spice mix used to season a wide range of dishes. The word tabil means “coriander,” and that is one of the main ingredients, along with dried garlic, chile, and caraway; some blends also contain cumin or other spices, and sweet peppers are occasionally included. Tabil is similar to harissa (see here), and like harissa, this Tunisian blend is found in other North African countries as well. It can be used as a rub for grilled meats, fish, or poultry, and it adds spice to many soups and stews, as well as couscous. It can also be mixed with olive oil to make a seasoning paste.

TAMARIND

BOTANICAL NAME: Tamarindus indica

OTHER NAMES: Indian date, assam, imli, puli

FORMS: blocks, concentrate, and powder

Tamarind is the fruit of a tall tropical evergreen tree in the bean family. It is indigenous to eastern Africa, and possibly also to southern Asia, and it has grown wild in India for centuries. Tamarind was used by the Arabs in the Middle Ages, and the Europeans also knew it then. Spanish conquistadors took tamarind to Mexico and the West Indies. Today, India is one of the major producers, but tamarind is also cultivated in Thailand and other Asian countries, as well as in Mexico and the East Indies.

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Tamarind pods look like fat, dark brown broad beans. They are about 4 inches long, and the pulp contains ten or so hard seeds. The pods are harvested when ripe, often after they have begun to split open. The outer skins are removed, and the sticky reddish-brown pulp, with the seeds intact, is usually shaped into bricks or blocks; the pulp darkens to a very deep brown. Tamarind is also processed into a flavorful (and easier to use) concentrate, made by cooking down the pulp with water and then straining it to remove the seeds and fibers. More recently, tamarind powder has become available.

With a mild fruity fragrance and a tart, sweet, fruity flavor, tamarind is the main souring agent in Indian cooking and is used for the same purpose in other tropical kitchens (one of its names in Asia is assam, which means “acid”). To use the pulp, pull off a small chunk from a block of tamarind and soak it in a little hot water for 15 to 20 minutes or so, until it softens, then mash the pulp and liquid together and strain. Tamarind concentrate is ready to be used, and the powder can be stirred into any dish to add a hit of tartness, though the flavor will not be as complex.

In India, tamarind adds its distinctive flavor to a range of curries, dals and other lentil dishes, and chutneys. It is popular in Thailand, where it is used in soups, sauces, and curries. Tamarind is particularly good with fish and seafood. It can be used in desserts and sweets, as well as in savory dishes, and it is made into a refreshing drink in countries from Thailand to East Africa to the Caribbean and Mexico. Tamarind is one of the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce. It can also be used in candies.

MEDICINAL USES: Tamarind is considered a digestive in India, where it is also used to treat various intestinal disorders and to heal wounds. It is high in iron and thiamine, as well as in tartaric acid, an antioxidant.

TARRAGON

BOTANICAL NAMES: Artemisia dracunculus (French tarragon); A. dracunculoides (Russian tarragon)

OTHER NAMES: French tarragon, true tarragon

FORMS: fresh and dried leaves

French tarragon, or true tarragon, is a small perennial indigenous to the Mediterranean; it is a member of the daisy family. Its history is not as long as that of many other herbs, and it was not really known in Europe until around the sixteenth century. Its Latin name means “dragon,” as does its Arabic name, tarkhum; estragon, its French name, means “little dragon.” Most sources attribute the origin of the name to a belief that tarragon was an antidote to the venom of poisonous serpents. The other most common variety of the herb is Russian tarragon, which is native to Siberia. It is a taller, straighter plant (French tarragon tends to sprawl), but its leaves have little of the wonderful flavor of true tarragon. Real tarragon has a licorice-like fragrance (it contains the same volatile oil as anise) and a spicy, peppery, green taste. The pots of tarragon sold at the garden market are often Russian tarragon, since French tarragon is more difficult to cultivate and therefore more costly; be sure to check the provenance. Good-quality dried tarragon has the same peppery anise-like flavor, with a slightly sweeter note.

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Tarragon is one of the most important herbs in classic French cuisine. It is essential for rémoulade and béarnaise sauce, among others, and it is one of the herbs in the mix known as fines herbes. It complements chicken (think chicken tarragon salad) and delicate fish like poached sole; a lemony tarragon butter is a lovely accompaniment to simply prepared fish or seafood. Tarragon is delicious in crab cakes, and it is often one of the herbs in tartar sauce. It’s also good in omelets and other egg dishes. Mustard is often flavored with tarragon, and tarragon vinegar has myriad uses. Grapefruit or lemon sorbet infused with tarragon is a refreshing, sophisticated way to end a meal.

TEJ PATTA/TEJPAT

See Cassia Leaves.

THYME

BOTANICAL NAMES: Thymus vulgaris; T. citriodorus (lemon thyme)

FORMS: fresh and whole or ground dried leaves

Thyme is one of the oldest of all herbs, used in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs and in ancient Greece and Rome. It is a small perennial shrub indigenous to the Mediterranean, most notably the region that extends from southern Europe to North Africa. There are actually dozens of types of thyme, but many of them are purely ornamental. Common thyme, sometimes called garden thyme, is the kitchen herb of choice. Lemon thyme also has culinary uses (see below).

Thyme leaves are tiny, pointed, and green; they are very aromatic because they contain thymol, an important essential oil. Their fragrance is warming and spicy, with undertones of pine and citrusy, minty notes (thyme is a member of the mint family); the flavor is also intense and warming, with a faintly medicinal note. The leaves should be stripped from their woody stems before use. Because of the presence of thymol, thyme dries well, retaining much of its pungency (in fact, in arid climates, thyme tends to be at least already partially dried on the stem when it is harvested). The thyme that grows all over Provence and other regions is called serpolet in France. The herb known as za’atar in the Middle East is another type of wild thyme.

Thyme is one of the most common herbs in the kitchens of Europe and North America, as well as throughout the Middle East. It is an essential part of any bouquet garni, the classic French herb bundle that is used to season stocks, soups, and stews. It is also one of the ingredients in the blend known as herbes de Provence. It helps cut the richness of fatty foods such as duck or goose and pork; it is also good with chicken. Thyme complements most vegetables, particularly tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and root vegetables, and it is an important seasoning in many dried bean dishes.

Lemon thyme deserves to be more well-known than it is. It is less intense than garden thyme, but it has a lovely citrus aroma and flavor. Lemon thyme is particularly suited to desserts such as poached fruit, and it can be used in scones and shortbread. On the savory side, lemon thyme is, not surprisingly, good with fish and shellfish, as well as with chicken.

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TUNISIAN FIVE-SPICE MIX

OTHER NAMES: qâlat daqqa, gâlat dagga

Qâlat daqqa is a Tunisian spice mix that combines black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and grains of paradise, all ground to a fine powder. Its flavor and aroma are warm, sweet, and pungent. It seasons many tagines, meat-based stews, and couscous. It is good with pumpkin and other winter squashes, eggplant, and legumes, particularly chickpeas. Qâlat daqqa can be used as a dry rub for grilled meats or added to marinades for lamb or poultry.

TURMERIC

BOTANICAL NAME: Curcuma longa

OTHER NAMES: Madras turmeric, Alleppey turmeric, yellow ginger, Indian saffron

FORMS: ground

TURMERIC TEA Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon ground turmeric and, if you like, 1½ teaspoons ground ginger, and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, add 1 cup milk and honey to taste, and stir well.

A tropical perennial, turmeric is a member of the ginger family and, like ginger, the spice comes from the underground rhizomes of the plant. It is native to India, and today, India is by far the largest producer and exporter, but it is also grown widely in Asia, notably in Indonesia, and in South America and the Caribbean. There are two main types of ground turmeric: Madras and Alleppey. Madras turmeric is primarily grown in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu but gets its name from the fact that it has historically been traded in its capital city of Madras, now called Chennai. Alleppey turmeric comes from Kerala, and its name derives from the Alleppey District near Cochin.

Turmeric rhizomes are rounder than those of ginger, and they are bright orange inside. To harvest them, whole clumps of the rhizomes are carefully removed from the earth and then the smaller rhizomes, called “fingers” (see Ginger) are broken off from the larger rhizomes and boiled or steamed. This step helps shorten the drying time and prevents the small rhizomes from sprouting. Then they are dried and polished, removing the skin in the process, before they are ground. The dried rhizomes are rock-hard, so commercial grinding is really a necessity.

Most of the ground turmeric we see is Madras turmeric, and it is bright yellow to orange; Alleppey turmeric, which is darker in color, is considered of higher quality. Both lend color to any dish to which they are added (or to your hands, or cutting board, or clothes—turmeric has been used as a natural dye throughout its long history). The aroma of Madras turmeric is musty and warm, with a slightly bitter undertone; Alleppey is more fragrant and distinctly earthy. Both have a pungent, bitter taste. Marco Polo compared turmeric to saffron, and it is sometimes suggested as a substitute in recipes, but the two spices have nothing in common other than their bright color.

Turmeric is an essential ingredient in Indian curries, and it seasons a vast range of regional dishes throughout the country. It pairs well with vegetables such as cauliflower, celery, and potatoes, as well as with lentils, rice, and noodles, and it complements both seafood and poultry. It is added to chutneys, and because it is a preservative, it is used in many pickles. Turmeric is also found in the kitchens of Nepal, South Asia, Morocco, and the Middle East. It is an ingredient in most curry powders and in many tandoori spice blends and often in charmoula, as well as in Morocco’s ras el hanout. Turmeric is widely used as a coloring agent in the food industry, in foods from mustard to cheese.

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MEDICINAL USES: Turmeric is important in Ayurvedic medicine and is often infused in boiling water to make a tea. It is used to relieve gastrointestinal discomfort and to promote digestion. It is also believed to be a remedy for liver disorders and an anti-inflammatory agent for treating chronic illnesses such as asthma, and it is used in ointments and creams as an antiseptic to treat cuts and burns.