Flavors and Flavorings

FLAVORS
• Flavor
– distinctive quality of a food, drink or other
substance perceived with the combined
senses of touch, taste & smell
• Tastes
– sensations we detect when food, drink &
other substances come in contact with our
taste buds (sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami)
 FLAVORS
• Mouthfeel
– sensations created in the mouth by a
combination of a food’s taste, smell, texture
and temperature
• Aroma
– odors that enter the nose or float up through
the back of the mouth to activate smell
receptors of the nose
 FLAVORS
• Palate – ability to appreciate and
recognize patterns of flavors
 4 Basic Tastes
 sweet
 sour
 salty
 bitter and pungent/hot/spicy
 savory – food that is not sweet
• called umami (Japanese word “umai” meaning
delicious)
 Factors Affecting the
Perception of FLavors
 temperature
 consistency
 presence of contrasting tastes
 presence of fats
 color
 FLAVORINGS
• an item that adds a new taste to a food
and alters its natural flavors
• including herbs, spices, vinegars and
condiments
• terms seasoning and flavoring are often
used interchangeably
 FLAVORINGS
• herbs and spices
• Herbs – group of aromatic plants whose
leaves, stems or flowers are used as flavoring
(fresh or dried)
• Spices – strong flavored or aromatic
portions of plants
 FLAVORINGS
• Flavoring agents
 Artificial or natural substances added
to foods to enhance flavor
• Seasoning
an item that added to enhance the
natural flavors of a food w/o
changing its taste
 most common “salt”
 FLAVORINGS
• Condiments
 traditionally, any item added to dish
for flavor including spices, herbs &
vinegars
 now also refers to cooked or
prepared flavorings such as
mustards, relishes, bottled sauces &
pickles
 HERBS
• Herbs have medicinal properties
– natural antioxidants and vitamins
• When choosing herbs, look for brightly
colored stems
• Use immediately after purchasing
– Or wrap in damp towel and place in sealed
container for up to five days
Basil Bay Leaf Chives

Cilantro Dill Lemongrass

 HERBS
1. Basil – considered as one of the great culinary herb. Its
flavor is strong, warm and slightly peppery w/ hint of
cloves.
2. Bay leaf – known as laurel
3. Chives – most delicate & sophisticated member of the
onion family
4. Cilantro – coriander, known as Chinese parsley
5. Dill – parsley family
6. Lemongrass – known as citronella grass; strong aroma &
flavor of lemon
Marjoram Mint Parsley

Oregano Rosemary Sage

 HERBS
7. Marjoram – flavor is similar to thyme but sweeter
8. Mint – spearmint is the most common garden and
commercial variety
9. Oregano – known as wild marjoram
10. Parsley – best known and most widely used herb in the
world
11. Rosemary – needlelike leaves; it is highly aromatic with
slight odor of camphor of pine
12. Sage – used in poultry dishes with fatty meats or brewed
as a beverage
Tarragon Thyme
 SPICES
• Spices
come from roots, barks, buds, seeds,
berries or fruit of tropical trees, plants, and
shrubs
spices have a more intense flavor than
herbs
most peppercorns are grown in India,
Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia
 SPICES
• saffron – is a rare and expensive spice
flowers are picked by hand and sold by the
stamen or thread, or in ground form
 All spice Anise seeds Star anise

Annatto seeds Capers Caraway

 SPICES
1. All spice – known as Jamaican pepper
2. Anise seeds –
3. Star anise – known as Chinese anise, is the dried
star shaped fruit of a Chinese Mongolian tree
4. Annatto seeds – adds a mild peppery flavor to rice,
5. Capers – finest capers are known as non-pareils and
used in variety of sauces with fish and game
6. Caraway – the world’s oldest spice
Cardamom Cayenne pepper Chili powder, flakes,
dried chilies

Cinnamon Cloves Coriander

 SPICES
7. Cardamom – one of the most expensive, second to saffron
in cost. Also used to flavor coffee
8. Cayenne – red pepper, extremely hot and pungent
9. Chiles – including paprika, bell pepper, cayenne (capsicum
family)
10. Cinnamon – are among the oldest known spice & is most
often associated with pastries and sweets
11. Cloves – unopened buds of evergreen trees; used for
desserts, meat dishes, preserves and liquor
12. Coriander – from cilantro plant w/ distinct spicy flavor
 Cumin Galangal Ginger

Nutmeg and Mace Peppercorns Saffron

© Randy Van Dam
2008
 SPICES
13. Cumin – strong earthy flavor & tends to dominate
any dish
14. Galangal – peppery, ginger like flavor & piney
aroma. Also known as galangal root, Thai or
Laos ginger
15. Ginger – known as “hand”. Fiery but sweet with
notes of lemon & rosemary
16. Nutmeg and Mace – seed is known as nutmeg
and the bright lacy coating or aril is the spice
mace
17. Peppercorns
 SPICES
18. Saffron – from the dried stigmas of the
saffron crocus
 It takes 250,000 flowers to produce a
pound of saffron
 Brilliant orange with a strong aroma &
a bitter honey-like taste
 necessity for bouillabaisse & rice
dishes such as paella and risotto
Paprika Sesame seeds Tamarind

Turmeric Wasabi
 SPICES
19. Paprika – known as Hungarian pepper; flavor ranges
from sweet to pungent
20. Sesame seed – nutty and earthy flavor, roasted are
used in or as a garnish for breads and meat dishes
21. Tamarind – also known as Indian date
22. Turmeric – tropical plant related to ginger; it has
mild, woodsy aroma; used as coloring and dye
23. Wasabi – commonly served with sushi and sahimi
 Storage and Handling
• Fresh herbs/spices only last a few days
• Dried forms can be successfully stored
 Crushed and ground forms do not last as long as
whole forms
 Can buy whole and crush or grind as needed
• Factors that affect spice quality
 Light, humidity, oxygen, and heat
 Market Forms
Various processed forms are available
 Whole
 Ground
 Granulated
 Extractives
 Herb and spice blends
 Herb and Spice Blends
1. Five spice powder – combination
of equal parts finely ground
Szechuan pepper, star anise,
cloves, cinnamon & fennel seeds
2. Curry powder – Tamil word “kari”
meaning “sauce”; black pepper
cinnamon, cloves, coriander,
cumin, ginger, mace & turmeric
 Herb and Spice Blends
3. Masala – flavorful aromatic blend of roasted and
ground spices used in Indian cuisines
*garam masala - made with hot spices; contains peppercorns,
cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, nutmeg, turmeric,
bay leaves, fennel seeds + coconut milk, oil or tamarind water
makes it wet garam masala

 garam means warm or hot

 masala means mixture of
spices
 SALT
 the most basic seasoning
 preserves foods, heightens their flavor and
provides distinctive taste of saltiness
 SALT
• Salt is the mineral most used in cooking
Reasons for using salt
 Preventing mold and bacteria growth
 Acting as a brake for chemical reactions produced
by yeast in baked goods
 Brightening food flavors
 Decreasing sourness of acids and increasing
sweetness of sugar in dishes
 Types of Salt
• Canning or pickling salt
• Coarse salt
• Flake salt
• Grinder salt
Canning or pickling salt Coarse salt
 Types of Salt
• Kosher salt
• Popcorn salt
• Rock salt
• Sea salt
Kosher salt Rock salt
• Table salt
 Types of Salt
• Himalayan pink
salt
• Organic salt
• Smoked sea salt
 Types of Salt
• Himalayan pink salt - rock salt mined from
the Punjab region of modern Pakistan.
• The salt often has a pinkish tint due to mineral
impurities.
• It is primarily used as a food additive as table salt, but
is also used as a material for cooking and food
presentation, decorative lamps, and spa treatments.
 OILS
 A type of fat that remains liquid at room temp.
 Oils are liquid fats from plants or animals
 Cold-pressed oils are made by pressing
vegetables on an expeller press
Friction of pressing heats the oil
 Some oils with delicate tastes must be pressed in a
temperature-controlled environment to reduce
heating
 OILS
• All oils are sensitive to damage from heat,
light and oxygen exposure
• Smoke point is the temperature at which the
oil will start to smoke
 Vegetable oils can handle higher temperatures
than animal oils
 Oil begins to break down at the smoke point and
must be discarded
 Different Types of Oil
 vegetable oil
 canola oil - rapeseed
 nut oils - walnut, hazel nut
 corn oil
 palm oil
 olive oil
 Flavoring Agents
• Dehydrated vegetables can be used as
seasonings
– Onions, garlic, sweet red pepper, and mint
– Freeze-dried chives and shallots
• Condiments
– Combinations of herbs and spices with a
liquid base (examples: mustard, relish)
 VINEGARS
• Vinegar means “sour wine”
– Made by exposing wine with less than 18
percent alcohol to air
– Bacteria in air reacts with residual yeast to
create mother (layer of mold)
• Reacts with alcohol to change into acetic acid
 VINEGARS
• Vinegar types
– Wine, balsamic, cider, malt, spirit, rice and
flavored vinegars