By
Kiwilimón - 2018-10-16T09:02:49.343008Z
Stimulants are used to excite the taste and activate the appetite organs; without them, everything would be bland and insipid. The first place is occupied by spices from the East and America; then come indigenous aromatic plants, salt and everything preserved with it, vegetable acids, and aperitive plants.
Pepper is the most common spice. There is white and black pepper, although both are products of the same tree; their difference lies in the preparation, as white pepper is nothing more than black pepper without its skin, and yet it is less pungent and spicy, being known in commerce as Dutch and English pepper, ground to a finer or coarser powder, and sold as fine pepper.
Ground or black pepper refers to the spice prepared with its powder only crushed, and it is used to eat oysters, soups, and salads.
Cloves are the most used after pepper. They are placed in a burnt onion to give color and flavor to the broth: they are used in many sauces and stews, and in all intermediate dishes prepared with vegetables, as their fragrance is quite pleasant and has almost universal appeal; however, it is necessary to remove them before serving, as their smell is what pleases.
Nutmeg is also part of the spices that should be found in kitchens. The healthiest ones are chosen, which are grated into the stews as needed. It goes well with all sauces, particularly with cauliflower and eggs. The flower of nutmeg, which is nothing more than its second skin, is rarely used in sauces and stews; usually, it is reserved for sweet intermediate dishes, to which it gives a taste as fine and pleasant as the nut itself.
Cinnamon is not used as much in cooking as in preserves and liqueurs; however, it can have some use in certain circumstances. Ceylon cinnamon is the best and the only one that should be used.
Ginger, the root of a plant native to the Indies and the Antilles, which is transmitted to us dried by trade, is pungent, aromatic, fiery, and has a fairly pleasant, albeit strong, smell.
Such is, more or less, the number of spices used in cooking reduced to very fine powder, of which the appropriate dose is added, varying according to the intended use; these are the four spices that should be used for stews, so that they do not turn out too bland or overly aromatic. Then follow the stimulants that grow naturally in our countries, whether they are shrubs, plants, grains, or garden roots, as in the past they replaced all the spices provided to us by America.
The first of all is bay leaf; its aromatic leaves are often used to flavor different stews; however, it is necessary to use it very sparingly. There is another bay, called cherry bay, which is only used to give milk the flavor and smell of almonds; but since this property is due to prussic acid, the most violent poison, it should be used in very small doses, at most one or two leaves, being enough for just under half a quart.
- Thyme is also among the adherents. Its strong and overly aromatic smell prevents it from being used in large doses.
- Marjoram, a highly aromatic plant, has a smell as strong as thyme and produces the same results.
- Savory, whose use is not as common as that of thyme, has more or less the same properties.
Both savory and marjoram are used fresh; bay and thyme can be kept for a long time, as even when dried, they do not lose their aromatic substance.
Among these various aromatic substances, tarragon, parsley, mint, scallions, chervil, celery, onion, and garlic should be counted; although they are not considered particularly rich in an aroma capable of stimulating the digestive organs, they are nonetheless indispensable in all food preparations, especially parsley, which is almost a necessity, and there is no stew, however simple, in which it is not used. The most essential thing for all those in charge of kitchens is not to abuse stimulants, which could be very harmful, especially to delicate individuals.
Recommended recipes with spices:
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Baked Tomatoes with Garlic
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Stuffed Peppers with Meat and Rice
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Chicken Tikka Masala