全英文西式香料.doc

Most people are accustomed to using fresh basil（罗勒叶） in their favorite Italian dishes, but this licorice-like herb is equally at home in a Thai coconut curry or a Provencal pistou. Dried basil tastes completely different from fresh, so if you want to add a shot of basil flavor try blending basil with olive oil and storing cubes in the freezer.（月桂叶）Bay is one of the herbs that plays an important supporting role; youd miss it if it werent there, but wouldnt necessarily be able to name what was missing. The longer, narrower California bay leaves are more pungent than the Turkish ones, so check what youve got before following a recipe. Fresh bay leaves, which are much more flavorful than dried, are becoming more commonly available in supermarkets.Chives（香葱） add a flavor similar to onion without the bite. Plus, their slender tube-like appearance looks great as a garnish either snipped and sprinkled or laid elegantly across a plate. Add these delicate herbs at the very end to maximize their color and flavor. Purple chive blossoms are more pungent than the stems and can be a beautiful addition to a salad.Supposedly theres actually a gene that determines whether or not people like cilantro（芫荽叶、香菜）, so this herb is truly a love it or hate it proposition for most. Its still one of the most popular herbs in the world particularly in Asia and Latin America and for people who love it, its impossible to imagine a meal without its unique flavor. Cilantro stems are quite sweet and can be added raw along with the leaves while the roots are prized by Thai chefs for curry pastes.The feathery leaves of the dill（莳萝） plant add a light anise flavor to seafood, soups, salads, and lots of other dishes. A classic in borscht or paired with salmon, dill is almost always added at the very last minute. Keep it fresh in the refrigerator by storing it in a glass of water with a plastic bag placed over the top.Although more commonly associated with sweet treats, mint lends its cooling, peppery bite to plenty of savory dishes, particularly from the Middle East and North Africa. Perfect for summer-fresh salads or to liven up a sauce, leftover fresh mint can also be used to brew a fragrant tea which is equally tasty served hot or cold.Oregano（牛至叶）, a pungent herb primarily found in Mediterranean and Mexican cuisines, is one of the few herbs that survive the drying process relatively unscathed. Use convenient dried oregano for longer stewing or dry rubs, but make sure to use half as much dry as you would fresh since the flavor is so intense. Oregano can also be used as a substitute for its close cousin marjoram.Formerly relegated to the role of omnipresent garnish, fresh parsley（西芹） is coming into its own for its fresh flavor and great health benefits, but dried parsley lacks both flavor and color. Make sure to wash the fresh herb well by swishing it in a bowl of cool water to let the sand run to the bottom and repeating until clean. One last tip: Parsley can be squeezed dry in a tea towel or paper towels after chopping and youll want it nice and dry if you do plan on adding that extra green sprinkle!（迷迭香）A tough, woody herb with a pungent flavor, rosemarys spiky leaves can be used fresh or dried for long cooking in soups, meats, stews, sauces, etc. Because the flavor is strong, its best to add rosemary sparingly at first and more if needed. Fresh rosemary can be stored for about a week in the fridge either in a plastic bag or stems down in a glass of water with a plastic bag around the top.Most people have an ancient container of dried sage（鼠尾草） that gets pulled out for Thanksgiving stuffing, but there are so many other delicious uses for this herb throughout the year, particularly in dishes with pork, beans, potatoes, cheese, or as half of the classic sage and brown butter sauce. The flavor can be somewhat overwhelming particularly with dried sage so start off with a small amount and build on that.Although tarragon（龙蒿叶） is well-loved in French cooking, its less common elsewhere except in dried herb mixes or fine dining restaurants. Experimenting with this anise-like herb in classic French favorites such as bearnaise sauce, creamy tarragon chicken, or fresh vinaigrettes can help you learn how to use tarragon to lift flavors without overpowering a dish. Store tarragon in a plastic bag in the fridge along with a damp paper towel or stems down in a glass of water with a plastic bag on top.One of the most popular herbs in American and European cooking, thyme（百里香） can be paired with nearly any kind of meat, poultry, fish, or vegetable. To use fresh thyme, peel off as many of the leaves as you can from the woody stem by running your fingers along the stem. Particularly with younger thyme, some of the main stem or little offshoot stems will be pliable and come off with the leaves, which is fine. Thyme keeps for at least a week in the fridge, wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag.A Caribbean berry that has the sweetness and heat of cinnamon（肉桂）, cloves（丁香）, and nutmeg（肉豆蔻）, allspice（众香果） can be used in both desserts and savory dishes. Try a pinch in ginger snaps or a baked ham or make your own Jamaican jerk seasoning to see why this spice is an island favorite.Used often in Central European cooking, caraway seeds（页蒿子） are mostly known outside the region for their starring role in rye bread. Their slightly anise flavor works particularly well with the kind of sweet and sour dishes favored in Central Europe such as pork and apples or braised red cabbage（卷心菜）.One of the most commonly used spices in Indian or Swedish cooking, whole cardamom（小豆蔻） pods can appear in pilau rice, curries, or Scandinavian baked goods. Ground cardamom loses its flavor quickly and should be purchased whole and ground when needed the entire pod can be ground or the seeds can be scraped out and used on their own.A touch of spicy cayenne（辣椒） can add a lot of heat to a dish without radically changing the flavor. It is a mixture of ground, dried chili peppers and can be used with a wide variety of cuisines, particularly Italian and Mexican. Since its always sold in the powdered form, it shouldnt be stored for longer than six monthsYou can now find lovage, the wild celery plant these seeds are from, on more and more menus emphasizing regional and local cuisine. The seeds add their pungent flavor to anything from cocktails to coleslaw and can be used either whole or ground.Cinnamon（桂皮） adds sweetness and heat to sweet and savory dishes alike. Cinnamon sticks are often added whole to coffee, stews, rice, curries, or tagines and removed before serving. Ground cinnamon is a staple in baked goods - a sprinkle makes even a simple bowl of oatmeal smell great and look incredibly appetizing.Often paired with cinnamon and nutmeg, cloves are dried flower buds that are sold both whole and ground. They have a warm, sweet flavor that works great with both sweet dishes and savory classics like clove-studded ham. Keep them whole and grind them yourself directly before using for the most potent flavor.Although coriander（胡荽） is the seed of the leafy herb known as cilantro or coriander, the flavor is totally different. Even people who cant tolerate cilantro appreciate the unique tangy flavor of dried coriander when its present in an Indian curry or used as a marinade or rub for fish, meat, or poultry.Something would clearly be missing in all kinds of dishes from Mexico, India, and the Middle East if the cumin（小茴香） was omitted. The toasted seeds can be used whole in dishes and eaten as is or be ground right before use. Pre-ground cumin loses its potency quickly, but can be helped by toasting first in a dry skillet over medium-low heat.There are many ways to use this peppery root from fresh to dried and ground to pickled or crystallized. Each of these preparations adds unique flavors and textures to everything from stir-fries to roasted meats to the classic ginger snap. Most fresh ginger should be peeled (try peeling with a soup spoon to easily get around the bumps) and either minced and added while cooking or grated and squeezed for its spicy juice near the end. Dried ground ginger is a favorite in many baked goods, but can also be used to add a sweet and hot note to savory dishes as well.Both powdered and prepared mustard（芥末） are great to have around to add heat and a piquant flavor in sauces, dressings, marinades, and entrees. Whole mustard seeds are often part of the mixture of pickling spices, but are also a key part of many Indian curries where they are toasted in oil first until they pop. This releases a pungent and burning gas that only hints at the heat and flavor within these tiny seed.Although nutmeg（肉豆蔻） is also sold pre-ground, the flavor of freshly-grated nutmeg is much more vibrant than the powdery form. Nutmeg has a flavor thats distinctive but can also actually fade gracefully into the background, adding warmth and depth while letting other ingredients stand out. In Germany, for example, its difficult to distinguish the pinch of nutmeg commonly added to mashed potatoes, but not difficult to notice that they taste delicious.The parsley of the spice world, paprika（辣椒粉） has too often been relegated to the role of garnish, mostly because of its beautiful rich color. There are actually all sorts of paprika that can add flavors from smoky to spicy hot, a fact thats well known in Spain and, of course, Hungary. Keep a couple types on hand to add both color and flavor to any savory dishes.Along with salt, black pepper is half of a team that is so fundamental to cooking that they get called upon nearly whenever you need to “season” a dish. Fresh-ground black pepper can take center stage when added in larger quantities and there are all other sorts of peppercorns that each offer their own flavors and degrees of heat. The pre-ground pepper sold in spice jars has almost none of the flavor of the fresh version.Dried red chili peppers sold either ground or in flakes, red pepper works well either added early to dishes that are going to cook for a while or simply shaken on near the very end. Because they can vary greatly in terms of heat, taste your red pepper to see just how hot it is and make sure to replace it every six months.One of the most expensive spices, vanilla is sold in pods which are split open to scrape the flavorful and tiny seeds out. More commonly, its used in a liquid form as an extract. Artificial vanilla （香草）tastes more of chemicals than the sweet, warm flavor its supposed to resemble. In Europe, “used” pods with the seeds scraped out are added to jars of sugar to create a wonderfully scented ingredient for use in baked goods.Theres a big difference between plain dried red chiles sold in a powdered form (“chile powder”) and a real chili powder spice mix thats ready for your favorite Mexican dishes. Make sure youre getting the mix by checking for ingredients such as oregano, cumin, garlic, salt, and, of course, red chiles. Or make your own and try a blend of red peppers and additions like coriander, paprika, or cloves. Use it for any kind of appetizer or main dish that you want to have a smoky, warm flavor and dont forget it for your chili!The perfect balance of the five major flavors in Chinese cooking sweet, sour, bitter, piquant, and salty Chinese Five-Spice Powder is traditionally made of ground cloves, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, and star anise. Black peppercorns can be substituted if Szcechuan are unavailable and youll often see additions such as ginger, orange peel, or cinnamon to the blend.Real curry powder is fresh, vibrant, and complex, but the long list of spices which can be used in this mixture lose their potency quickly. Its best to either grind whole spices before using or keep the mixture in an air-tight container for no more than a couple months. The spices that you almost always find in this Indian mixture include cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper, and chiles, but the list can go on to include 20 or more ingredients. Mix your own or make sure to taste your curry powder to see what the exact flavor profile is and just how hot it might be before adding.Slightly sweet and mild, garam masala（什香粉） adds warm flavors to more delicate Indian dishes. The literal translation for garam masala is “warm spice mixture” and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cardamom, and nutmeg are found alongside coriander, cumin, and fennel. A quick shake of garam masala at the end of cooking even the most simple vegetables or legumes will add interest and flavor.Herbes de Provence（普罗旺斯的香料） is a classic spice mixture from southern France. Using a blend of herbs from the region including rosemary, basil, marjoram, thyme, sage, savory, tarragon, bay, fennel seeds, and lavend