SPICE MIXTURES AND SEASONS OF THE WORLD
AUSTRALIA
Vegemite Is a brand name for a spicy dark brown paste made from brewer's yeast, salt, onion and celery, invented in 1923 by Dr. Cyril Callister, a biochemist, and has become the national seasoning of Australian and New Zealand cuisines in recent years. Vegemite is used as a kind of mustard substitute and is usually served with sausage, egg and flour dishes, which gives them a typical "Australian" taste; and sometimes it is added to soups or simply spread on sandwiches or toast with butter. Vegemite is today exported to many countries around the world
AMERICA
Dipteryx (tonka bean) - a tropical tree of the species Dipteryx odorata of the legume family, growing in the north of South America (Guyana, Orinoco River region).The name of the tree in most European languages goes back to the word tonka from the Galibi language - the indigenous people of French Guinea. The egg-shaped pods of Dipteryx contain one sweet and fragrant seed - it is used as a substitute for vanilla, as well as for flavoring tobacco and confectionery. Cookbooks recommend adding this spice to pastries and sweets based on coconut, walnuts and poppy seeds. Tonka beans are sometimes used as a substitute for bitter almonds in countries where the sale of bitter almonds is prohibited or restricted by national laws. The industrial collection center for Dipteryx is Venezuela, from where the pods are exported mainly to the USA. Fried seeds of another species - Panamanian Dipteryx D. panamensis - are also used for food
AFRICA NORTH, TURKEY, MIDDLE EAST
Harissa - A North African spicy blend of crushed chili, cumin, garlic and coriander, diluted in olive oil to a thick paste and used as a seasoning for various dishes, such as Tunisian Breck patties. Often, a little broth is added to such a paste, which has become widespread in French cuisine, and is used as a sauce for various dishes, for example, Algerian and Tunisian couscous.
It is placed on the side of a plate to dip pieces of fried meat into it. This seasoning is added to soups and stews, as well as couscous sauces. It is sometimes spiced with peeled tomato puree or used as a sauce for kebabs. A mixture of natural yogurt and harissa is an excellent marinade for pork and chicken. RECIPE:
products for 0.5 cups:
12 pods of dried red chili
1 tbsp. l. coriander seed
2 tsp cumin seed
2 cloves of garlic
0.5 tsp salt
4-6 st. l. olive oil
Remove the petioles and some of the chili seeds, then soak the pods in warm water for 30 minutes, until they are soft.
Pan dry coriander and cumin seeds to enhance the flavor and grind them into powder.
Crush the garlic and salt, add the chili and grind the mixture until smooth.
Add the spices and gradually add oil, continuing to crush the seasoning until the sauce is smooth and has the consistency of mayonnaise.
Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Ras el hanout Is a complex spice mixture widely used in Arab and North African cuisines (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) in soups and stews. Its classic version includes: ginger, anise, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cubeb pepper, cumin, coriander, cardamom, dried lavender or rose buds, nigella seeds, nutmeg, nutmeg, galangal, turmeric root and sometimes paprika. Other spices are often included, for example, Indian long pepper, and in the most exotic options even such a famous aphrodisiac as the Spanish fly. The name "ras el-khanut" literally means "shopkeeper" from Arabic - indeed, every shopkeeper that sells oriental spices and spice mixtures makes a mixture in his own way - it can contain up to 50 different ingredients. It is seasoned with Maghreb couscous, as well as meat or fish dishes cooked on a tajin clay hearth.
Tseer powder - consists of salted peanuts, a mixture of spices, salt and ground chili.
This simple spice is used with kebabs. First, the raw meat is dipped in butter and eggs and then in seasoning. A pinch of powder is sprinkled on the finished meat before serving.
Barakhat - a burning fragrant mixture of spices and spices used in many countries of the Persian Gulf and North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine) as a seasoning for meat and vegetables. There is no single recipe for cooking, it can include: nutmeg, black pepper, allspice, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, sweet and hot red peppers, cardamom, and sometimes even equal parts of crushed rosebuds and cinnamon. The main and indispensable ingredient in baharat is always black pepper, which gave the name to the whole spicy mixture.Before use, the mixture is usually quickly fried in vegetable oil and cooked with this seasoning couscous, lamb, fish, quince, chestnuts and apricots. In English-speaking countries, Baharat is sometimes sold under the name Middle East Spice.
Berbere - a classic Ethiopian spicy (very spicy) mixture, it contains garlic, red hot pepper, cardamom, coriander, shambhala, etc. There is no single recipe, since almost every Ethiopian family has a different mix. First, red chilli peppers are fried in a dry frying pan until it darkens, then long and black peppers, ginger, coriander seeds, Greek fenugreek and a little ajgon (ayovana) are added. The sweet tones so characteristic of the Arabian culinary style are achieved by the inclusion of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and allspice in the mixture. After a few minutes of frying, all the spices are ground. Berberes are traditionally seasoned with mutton dishes; it is often prepared as a very pungent red paste, served with stews and added to stews and soups.
Galat daggd is a Tunisian spice blend that combines the sharp tones of pepper and heavenly grains with spicy sweet tones of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The seasoning is in harmony with Tunisian stews, and the combination of hotness and sweet-spicy aroma is a wonderful example of the Arabian culinary style.
Dukka - a mixture of spices, widespread in Egyptian cuisine, which includes roasted nuts and seeds (each time the chef determines the combination). Dukka is based on hazelnuts or chickpeas, as well as pepper, coriander, thyme, cumin and sesame seeds (all coarsely ground and mixed). This seasoning is usually sprinkled with meat, vegetables, and also diluted with olive oil and used as a sauce in which bread and raw vegetables are dipped.
Zahtar (zahtar) - Jordanian mixture of crushed sesame seeds, sumach powder and thyme. Zakhtar is most often sprinkled with lamb before grilling on coals, seasoned with vegetables, and sometimes simply mixed with olive oil and spread on bread or pita bread. The seasoning is also common in Turkey, Syria, Israel and North Africa.
La hama (la hatna) Is an Arabic spice blend, most often associated with Morocco (especially the city of Tangier) and is used in soups and stews. It usually contains black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and turmeric. La Cama - consists of only 5 dry ground spices. It is added to soups and stews and goes especially well with lamb.
Loomi - popular in the Middle East (Iraq, Turkey), a seasoning made from lime fruits boiled in salted water and then sun-dried. This seasoning (whole fruits or powder ground from them) is used to impart citrus aroma and sour taste in dishes made from meat and beans. In Iran, rice is seasoned with lumi powder.
Mastic - the resin of the mastic tree of the Pistacia lentiscus species of the pistachio family, an important component of the Middle Eastern cuisine. Delicate resinous aroma of mastic gives a special piquancy to the famous Turkish ice cream dondurma kaymak. In Cyprus, where the best mastic is obtained, it is added to bread, as well as to marinade for meat. In Western countries, mastic can be found in specialized stores selling Cypriot and Middle Eastern products.
Offak - Tunisian spice mixture, it is "universally" seasoned with almost all dishes. It usually consists of ground coriander seeds, cumin, green anise, cinnamon, rosebuds and grated turmeric root.
Tarhana - Turkish dried mixture of flour, yogurt, tomato, red pepper, onion, salt and yeast, it is ground, sifted and fermented for 10 days in a cool dry place. At home, tarhana is usually prepared in advance in large quantities, and in winter they cook tarhana corbasi milk soup with tomato paste, butter and crushed garlic from it.
Tahini - common in the Middle East, a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds, it is added to many dishes, for example, to "felafel" or fried meat, in addition, it serves as the basis of many sauces. Tahini is well known in the cuisine of Israel (where it is called "tkhina"), Greece and Cyprus - Cypriot pies with tahini "tahino pita" are especially popular during Lent. Often olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin seeds, red peppers, parsley are added to tahini and used as a gravy or simply served with pita or bread.
Hummus (hummus, humus, houmous) - widespread in the Middle East, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, a thick yellow paste of mashed boiled chickpeas, seasoned with lemon juice, garlic, olive or sesame oil. Pasta is most often served with pita or used as a condiment for raw vegetables. One type of hummus, called hummus bi tahina, is made with the addition of tahini sesame paste.
GREECE, BALKANS
Greek sauce "Satsiki"
Looking for:
* natural sour yoghurt, without fruit and berry, vanilla and similar flavors and without sugar. If it is not possible to buy such yogurt, replace it with ordinary, but not very fatty sour cream, for example, sour cream with a fat content of 15% will do;
* fresh cucumbers;
* garlic;
* ground white (in extreme cases - black) pepper;
* salt.
I cook satsiki sauce like this. First, I remove excess liquid (whey) from the yogurt, for which I cover the colander with gauze in two layers and pour 0.5 liters of yogurt into it. The serum gradually seeps out, and in the gauze the mass remains denser than the original consistency. (It is good if you have a tall, conical colander at home. Filtration occurs faster in it.)
While the filtration is in progress, I peel the cucumbers and garlic and rub them on a fine grater. For garlic, you can use a garlic press, but a grater is preferable, the structure of the sauce will be more uniform.
After waiting for the end of filtration, I spread the settled mass from the gauze into a bowl, add grated cucumbers and garlic to it, salt and pepper to taste and mix everything thoroughly.
Satsiki is ready.
The sauce is thick enough, but if you want it thinner, add grated cucumbers. Their quantity can be used to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
Well, now about the approximate ratios of the components: I have already said about 0.5 liters of yogurt (sour cream), for this amount of dairy product you must have at least 200 g of cucumbers and a maximum of 4 cloves of garlic (lovers of garlic can add more, to taste).
The sauce is versatile, goes well with cold and hot dishes, with meat and fish.
Salamur - a complex spice mixture used for meat processing in the Balkan countries and Moldova. It usually contains: Jamaican pepper, coriander, cloves and bay leaves. The spice mixture is dissolved in salt water, and the meat is treated with a strong spicy brine before salting or smoking.
GEORGIA
Hmeli-suneli - Georgian mixture of dried spices. There are short and full compositions.
The first consists of equal parts basil, coriander (cilantro), marjoram and dill with the addition of small amounts of red pepper and saffron.
The complete composition, in addition to these components, includes fenugreek, celery, parsley, savory, mint and bay leaf.
Khmeli-suneli is used in kharcho, satsivi and other dishes of Georgian cuisine, in addition, it is one of the main components of adjika
INDIA
Baghar or tadka - a mixture of spices and flavors fried in hot oil - for Indian dishes.
Garam masala {Dagat masala) (from Ind. Dagat - "warm, hot" + masala - "spicy mixture") - a mixture of toasted and crushed spices, common in the cuisine of the cold regions of North India. Garam masala can contain almost all Indian spices, but usually it contains up to 12 ingredients: cumin, coriander seeds, black and allspice, Indian bay leaf (these spices form the basis of the taste), as well as in small quantities - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.More modern versions also include hot red chili, fennel, saffron and nutmeg. All the components of garam masala are necessarily ground together, and such a mixture is always made by the chef himself immediately before preparing the dish, so it cannot be bought ready-made in a store. Indian chefs usually add garam masala at the very end of cooking, or simply sprinkle this mixture on the dish before serving. In addition, garam masala is almost always added to batter, in which pieces of vegetables or fruits are fried.
Masala (Garam Masala, Kashmir Masala, Chat Masala, Green Masala, Madras Masala)
Vindaloo - a complex burning mixture of fried hot spices common in the central and southwestern regions of India; it usually includes: mustard seed, cumin, ginger, black pepper, shambhala seeds, cloves, coriander seeds, red hot pepper and tamarind. From the spicy mixture, adding vinegar, they make hot pastes and sauces, and serve them. with meat, fish or rice. The same name is given to dishes seasoned with such a paste or sauce, for example, for making "fish vindaloo" - a fish slightly fried over high heat is stewed in wine vinegar with hot spices and garlic.
Colombo {colombo) - A common in Caribbean cuisine, a powdered spice mix of coriander, chili, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron and garlic. Colombo stew is usually made with pork, chicken or fish with vegetables, with vegetables being stewed along with the main product, and rice and beans are served separately as a side dish.
Panch pkoron (literally: "five seeds") is a classic Bengali spice mix of equal parts cumin, fennel, shambhala, black mustard seeds and nigella seeds. Sometimes it also includes azhgon (sometimes instead of cumin) or black pepper. A mixture of unmilled spices is fried in vegetable oil (usually mustard oil) just before use. Panch-phoron is a traditional seasoning for vegetarian dishes in South India; in West Bengal, the state of Sikkim and in the cuisine of Bangladesh, it is used more often in meat dishes.
Sambar-go, or sambaar podi, a popular South Indian spice blend based on lentils; it is fried in a dry frying pan so that the mealy raw flavor disappears, and then mixed with fried spices: cumin, coriander, shambhala and black pepper, sometimes fried mustard seeds, fried chili and asafoetida are added. The mixture is then ground and seasoned with lentil or vegetable curries.
Chutney - traditional Indian spicy sweet and sour fruit and vegetable seasoning for meat; it is prepared with a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and spices (tomatoes, mangoes, raisins, apples, hot peppers, ginger, mint, sugar, vinegar, or lemon juice). Chutney is especially widespread in eastern India, where it is most often served with curries in small outlets or placed on a plate next to rice. The sweeter versions are simply spread over the bread.
