Herbs & Spices

Seasonings

If you are looking for ways to make your cooking tastier without adding salt, remember herbs and spices.  These particular plants have been on the menu for a very long time, and they are still good for adding extra taste without adding any extra calories.

Herbs are plants that are grown in Northern climates, and a lot of them come from the Western Hemisphere.  Plants are called ‘herbs’ if they are grown for some practical use besides giving shade or providing flowers.  Usually, with herbs, the leaf is the main attraction, but sometimes other parts of the plant are used as well.  A few of the many types of herbs are thyme, oregano, marjoram, and mint.

Spices, on the other hand are mostly tropical plants.  These can be parts of vines, trees, or shrubs, and almost all parts are used except the leaves.  Allspice is one exception (it is native to the West Indies), but spices are mostly from the Eastern Hemisphere.   A few types of spices are cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper.

The great thing about herbs and spices is that they can take a really lack-luster dish and give it some pizazz.  And they do all this without adding any extra calories, fat, or sugar.  Of course, if you are allergic to any of these things, you will have to work around that.  Otherwise, it is fun to experiment with different kinds of flavors--both herbal and spicy.

Cooking with MacBeth

Most of us are familiar with the famous rhyme chanted by the witches in the1605 Shakespeare play, “Macbeth.” 

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

It all has an eerie ring to it, but actually, the different ingredients may mostly be made up of plants.  Some think that many of these ingredients are really just common herbs being called by old-fashioned names. 

Of course, a few of the ingredients in such tonics might come from animals or animal parts, (like fenny snake and owlet's wing), but historians think most of theses items were actually plants.  

Although you might be able to cook up such a concoction for yourself, we don’t recommend it.  Some herbs have powerful effects--and I don’t mean magic either.  Such mixtures are better left to scientists or to classical literature.  So, just sit back, enjoy the play, and leave the brewing to the experts.

Herbal Charms

In days gone by, it wasn’t just the herbs themselves that were considered medicinal.  Of course, the leaves or roots were all well and good, but this plant material had to be spoken over to actually work.  Sometimes, the magic words were addressed to the disease (or to the spirit who caused the disease), but not always.  In many cases, the formula was chanted over the herbs.  These words were often secret, and they might be accompanied by a ceremony to get the best effect. 

Now, some herbs needed their spells said after they had been gathered but before they could be made into healing creams, poultices, or teas.  Certain poetic jingles or chanted formulas were sung to release the healing power of the herb.  Of course, many of these rhymes were actually ancient incantations or pretty much nonsense.  No one had a clue what they meant—if they meant anything at all.  Often, however, a paternoster or a litany would be said too, and thus, the influence of the Church could be invoked.

Once all of the ingredients were correctly gathered, treated, sprinkled with holy water, sung over and the right words chanted, the patient might drink.  Hopefully, all would be well.

RIddle Me This

A riddle is a mystery in words.  It is a question, a phrase, or a set of sentences that presents a puzzle to be worked through.  The answer is something that doesn’t leap to the eye; it demands thought and attention. 

Here is a riddle in the old-fashioned style.  Can you guess what plant is speaking?

In Southern Europe, where I was born,
I guarded people against evil.
Many think I was named for the Virgin,
But I have been ros marinus for far longer.
I love the shores of the inland sea,
Where the dew washes my face,
And carries my perfume on the breeze.
On Crete, I was the favorite of brides,
And I have accompanied both marriage and death.
Some say I can give you back your youth
Or at least, maybe return your hair.
They say I am the herb of remembrance.

Do you remember my name?  What am I?

I hope we don't ruin the surprise by telling you that this riddle is about the rosemary plant.

Horseradish

In England, it wasn't until the mid-1600s that Horseradish was recognized as edible, and then it wasn't considered an especially sophisticated condiment.  An English herbalist said that horseradish was only popular "with country people and strong labouring men in some countries of Germany," adding as an afterthought, "and in our owne land also, but, as I said, it is too strong for tender and gentle stomaches." 

All the same, as well as a spicy condiment, horseradish provided an effective cure for scurvy.   Although Culpeper claimed that: "If bruised and laid to a part grieved with the sciatica, gout, joint-ache or hard swellings, it doth wonderfully help them all," it is recommended to use more modern medications than horseradish root.

Although grape vines were said to be so averse to growing near horseradish that they bent backward rather than come near it, horseradish came to be considered a useful herb. Applied as a poultice, the root would substitute for mustard plaster, and it was said to cure chilblains.  A combination of horseradish juice and vinegar was thought to remove freckles.  Now, we have more effective medicines, and horseradish is mostly used as a condiment.

The Herb Bites Back

We like to make up riddles about various wonderful plants.  Here is another riddle in the historic style.  Can you guess what plant is speaking?

    I am a rare breed, and there are a lot of stories about me.
Because my home ground is barren, I have to go out of my way to dine.    You might say that the jug goes to the well as often as it wants,  but mostly, I let my dinner come to me.  Some say I am deceitful because I provide a delicious invitation for those who would come to my table, but that lure is never consumed.
  Woe to most travelers who enter into my waxy walls for refreshment.    All the same, I’m not a danger to all of my neighbors,  and some make their homes and do their hunting amid my petals.  
        In China, they thought that I held the elixir to heal all the ills of humankind,   Others say I am bad luck, and they won’t have me in their houses.  
As the guardian of the forest, I might hold knowledge and wisdom, and some say I will keep their whispered secrets and never let them go.   There are a lot of insects that might say the same.  What is my name?

Spoiler alert the answer is:  A Pitcher Plant

Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice made from a plant in the ginger family, and it is probably native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This spice is made from the ground up rhizomes (or underground stems) of the turmeric plant, and it is often used in Indian and Asian cooking.  The active ingredient is curcumin, and that gives the spice its yellow color. 

Besides being a popular spice in cooking, turmeric has other valuable qualities.  Studies show that turmeric is a whole lot more than just a pretty color.  In addition to adding a good taste to curry and Worcestershire sauce, turmeric is just full of anti-inflammatories and antioxidants that may inhibit many unpleasant diseases.  

It seems that turmeric has been used in Indian and Chinese medicine for a very long time.  Now, it is being studied in the West as an alternative medication.  The spice seems able to outperform regular drugs in counteracting chronic disease--and without many of the attendant side effects.  

Chamomile Tea

If you need a relaxing drink to bring you gently down after a trying day of shopping, cleaning, or other vigorous exercise, you might want to consider a nice, warm mug of chamomile tea.

For most of us, this herb tea makes an especially relaxing drink after a busy day.  Be aware, however, that some people would do well to avoid it.  If you are allergic to ragweed, are pregnant, or have asthma, chamomile is probably not a good idea.  Be wary, and get the advice of your doctor.

1 or 2 teaspoons of the chamomile herb or 2 chamomile tea bags
Boiling water to fill the tea pot.
A few thin slices of apple (optional)

Place the apple slices in the bottom of your tea pot.  Mash them a little to release the flavor and add the herb or tea bags.  Pour in hot water, and steep for 5 minutes.  Strain the mixture, pour into a mug, and sweeten with honey or maple syrup.  Sip and relax.