Italian Spices The sweet smell of home.
Wednesday 28 July 2010 - Filed under Italian Spices
If you ever walked into a real Italian kitchen the first thing you would notice is the wide variety of Italian spices. Spices play such an important role in Italian cooking that they’re discussed in detail in all fine cookbooks, and they’re the first thing taught in all cooking institutions. The ability to blend spices is considered an art form, and some recipes are even kept secret; passed down only after the student has proved his/her worth to the teacher. Needless to say, spices play an integral part of authentic Italian cooking.
Just as with all ethnic recipes, Italian cuisine uses its own array of spices. The most widely used spices are oregano, basil, thyme, and garlic. Oregano is typically very strong. While it goes perfectly with basil, it also goes great in stronger dishes from southern Italy. Oregano made its debut in America in pizza sauces, and spread to other dishes as it became more popular. Basil is a common spice used in many international cuisines, but it’s always been a central taste in Italian cooking. It often shows up in one form or another in almost all Italian dishes, especially those coming from Northern Italy. It’s also a central ingredient in tomato basil soup and margherita pizza. Thyme adds a pungent minty, light-lemon aroma to meat, fowl, and fish dishes; and no receipe would be complete without the quintessential addition of Italian garlic. One Italian chef, Antonello Colonna, was quoted as saying: “To eliminate garlic from an Italian kitchen is like eliminating violins from an orchestra!” We couldn’t agree more.
Some other popular spices are coriander, which is typically added to meat dishes; Nutmeg, which is used in dishes that have cheese and spinach; and parsley, which is often utilized as a flavoring rather than a garnish due to its pungent taste. Perhaps the most usable spice in Italian cooking is fennel. This spice can be used in three ways: Its bulb can be sliced or quartered to be braised or baked au gratin, its stems can flavor sauces, and its seeds can be sprinkled atop sausages and various cooked meats.
If you can’t find fresh herbs from your local grocery store you can use the dry spices they offer, and be sure to store them in a cool, dark place. Spice racks that sit in the light of your kitchen as they heat up next to your stove are detrimental to the spices taste and quality, so make some room in your cupboard or any other dark storage area. Dried spices do have a long shelf life, but they do not last forever. And what they give in convenience they lack in taste.
If quality spices are important to you, it may be worth the extra time to find stores in your area such as Italian groceries or farmers markets. Specialty shops like these are always a great place to find fresh ingredients that will add that extra dash to your dishes.
The proper blend of spices can literally make or break your Italian cuisine. As spices are such an integral part of Italian cooking, it’s always worth the extra investment to get quality spices for your special recipes. You will taste the difference!
2010-07-28 » Spice Guy