SEC-S19 / W2 | Culinary Terminology and Proper Use of Herbs and Spices

It's the second week of gastronomy course. This week, we are to explore around the kitchen by learning the culinary terminology and also proper way of using herbs and spices. These are what we find in our kitchen each day and obviously can't prepare a good / complete meals without encountering herbs and spices.

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Explore through the kitchen with me while I answer the questions given by the teachers as an assignment;

Pick 3 Culinary Terms and Define Them, Accompanying Each Term with a Photo of Your Own

The following are the three (3) culinary terms I would like to define in my understanding.

• Flavor
• Flour
• Brown

Flavor: this is food ingredient used for baking, grilling braising and roasting. The three major flavors I have used in the kitchen mostly for baking and making of ice cream include; chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors. You can easily identify each flavor in food from its taste, aroma, color and texture.

Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavored cake before baking

Flour: this is made from grains and it is in powdered form that can be used for cake, pasta, pancakes, bread and various pastries. Flour is also very versatile in the kitchen.

Flour

Browning: this is edible ingredients, it can be in liquid or powdered form. As the name implies, it actually means that; when brown ingredients are added to food, that food will be brownish. Examples are; cocoa powder, honey, brown sugar and chocolate flavor. Another natural way of getting a brownish food is through frying. You can fry your protein or pastries to brown color.

Mixing process of dark brown cake ( chocolate cake)	Bun-dogs snack fried to light brown

Did You Know the Spices Shared in this Course and their Uses? What Other Spices Would You Like to Add to the List?

Yes, I am very much familiar with the spices shared in this course. Pepper is among the versatile spice in our kitchen and other ones like; nutmeg, turmeric, clove, basil and vanilla are common around me.

Turmeric powder

Other spices I would like to add are;
i. African nutmeg: this is used for native sauce and porridge ( plantain, yam or coco yam). You have to burn the first layer on flame and pound using mortar and pestle before use.

African nutmeg	You can add it to porridge

ii. Local soup spice: this spice is used mostly for soups; Banga soup, white soup and all kinds of pepper soup. It is an aromatic herb that adds peppery taste to food with sweet aroma. The method of using it is by; cutting to your desired size, wash and add to your food. It is not edible, when the food is ready, you can sort it out and dispose. The important thing is the aroma and taste the spice gives to meals.

Local soup spice

iii. Spicity: this is one secret ingredient to jollof rice and stew. It add taste and beautiful reddish color to the food.

Spicity

What is the Combination of Spices that You Use Most in Cooking and in What Preparations do You Add it?

Spices

The combination of spices that I mostly use in cooking are; thyme, curry, steak spice, curry, pepper, onions, garlic, ginger and cajun spice. These spices are for stew, sauce and Nigerian jollof rice. I also use them when seasoning or steeming meat, chicken and fish.

Preparation of One of the 7 most Famous Spice Mixes in the World or the Most Used Spice Mix in Your Country of Origin

You can call this; Jollof mix

The common most used spice mixes in my country are; curry, thyme, spicity, tumeric, red pepper, steak spice and onga spice. This combination of spices is used for jollof rice only. Since we have many spices in the world, every individual mixes according to his or her taste. For me, I will check the quantity of my food and measure these ingredients with spoon and thoroughly mix them together.

Thank you gastronomy teachers for this wonderful course for week 2. It was interesting scanning through the course outline in-between lines.

I will invite @anasuleidy, @josepha and @eliany to join the class.

Photo credit: @adylinah