Spice up your life
The addition of a little bit of spice to your food can elevate the flavors to another level, while also adding lots of nutritional value to your food. Spices are among the most concentrated sources of beneficial fyto-nutrients and antioxidants. Many cultures around the world have their own unique spices and flavor combinations. They often learn to cook by adding a little bit of this and a pinch of that, with not much measurements taken, in this way you learn to cook with your senses. When you start experimenting with different spices you can transform your dishes with flavors to give your food the taste of any global dish you wish, or you can invent your own new spice mixture.
The flavor charts you find with every article on a specific spice give you an idea how to combine different spices. Many spices contain different amounts of a flavor compound and by combining two spices with the same flavor compound you can accentuate this combined flavor in your spice blend. Also, different flavor compounds with a similar flavor tend to combine nicely and will make that particular flavor more pronounced in your spice blend. Another way to combine spices is by combining different flavors that contrast each other.
Cloves harvest
Fresh cloves being harvested in Bali, Indonesia.
When you think that is all too much work for you, there are many ready-made spice blends available. When you use spices, the added flavors make the need for salt in your meals goes down. In this way you can add lots of nutritional value to your meals while at the same time reducing your overall salt intake.
Another way to make use of spices is to brew yourself an herbal tea. Just boil some spices in a pot of water and your done. Many flavor compounds dissolve easier in fat than water, thus you can reuse your spices for an herbal tea several times as they will keeping giving flavor. Or you can make yourself an Indonesian ‘kopi rempah’, a cup of coffee with the addition of spices into your cup.
Because spices are such a concentrated source of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, even the small amounts that you add to your dishes, can bring you significant health benefits. It are these same beneficial nutrients of the spices that are responsible for their flavors.
Just use your imagination and spice up your food and drinks to make them more flavorful, as well as making them more healthy!
Health is tasty
Spices add lots of nutritional value to your meals