Spices & Herbs in Turkish Cooking

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Spices Herbs in Turkish Cooking
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Ancient History of Silk Spice Routes

• Turks
• Greeks
• Romans
• Arabs
• Romans

Trade between the empires of Asia and Rome
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Why were spices popular for trading?

• very lucrative
• improved food health
• very popular with the upper classes
• spicy food considered classy, sign of wealth

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Piper nigrum(black white pepper)

• Climbing vine native to India and East Indies in
  Piperaceae (pepper) family
• Berries picked green, darken shrivel upon
  drying.
• Biting flavor due to volatile oils, flavor
  dissipates after grinding.
• White pepper berries ripen on vine, outer hull
  removed.
• The most widely used spice today.

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Cinnamomum zeylanicum(cinnamon)

• Parts used- oil bark
• Evergreen tree native to India Sri Lanka in
  Laurel family
• Properties- Astringent, stimulant,
  anti-infective, anti-fungal, digestive aid
• One of the oldest and most valuable spices

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Cumin Plant as Herbal Medicine
Extensively used in Turkey for cooking,
antioxidant
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Eugenia caryophyllata(clove)

• Parts Used closed flower buds
• Active Compounds  Clove oil is 60 to 90 percent
  eugenol, which is the source of its anesthetic
  and antiseptic properties.
• An evergreen tree, 15 to 30 feet tall in
  Myrtaceae (Myrtle) family
• Native to the Spice Islands and the Philippines,
  but also grown in India, Sumatra, Jamaica, the
  West Indies, Brazil, and other tropical areas.

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Myristica fragans (nutmeg mace)

• Part used- dried kernel of the seed.
• Tree is about 25 feet high, has a greyish-brown
  smooth bark, abounding in a yellow juice.
• Native to Spice Islands Myristicaceae (nutmeg)
  family
• Fruit is source of 2 spices, nutmeg mace.
• Mace is derived from the net-like aril that is
  wrapped around the pit.
• Within the pit is a single seed, the source of
  nutmeg.

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Zingiber officinale (ginger)

• Member of ginger family
• Perennial native to tropical Asia
• Plant part used Rhizome
• name from Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means
  with a body like a horn, as in antlers.
• In English pubs and taverns in the nineteenth
  century, bar-keepers put out small containers of
  ground ginger, for people to sprinkle into their
  beer the origin of ginger ale.

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Capsicum species(hot sweet peppers)

• Members of tomato family (Solonaceae)
• Many are cultivars of Capsicum annum
• E.g., bell pepper cayenne
• Four other common species
• E.g., C. clilense includes habenero and C.
  fructescens includes tabasco pepper
• Many varieties
• Origin New World used by 9000 y. ago
• Hot due to seven related alkaloids, including
  capsaicin (mostly in seeds fruit)

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Scoville ratings(for pepper hotness)

• 16,000,000 Pure capsaicin
• 100,000-350,000 Habanero
• 30,000-50,000 Cayenne pepper
• 5,000-23,000 Serrano pepper
• 2,500-5,000 Tabasco sauce
• /Jalapeno
• 1,000-2,000 Poblano pepper
• 100-500 Pepperoncini pepper
• Ca. 0 Sweet Bell pepper

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Vanilla planifolia (vanilla)

• flavoring comes from the seed pod, or the bean
  of the vanilla plant
• member of orchid family (Orchidaceae) perennial
  vine
• behind saffron and cardamom, vanilla is 3rd most
  expensive spice
• non-culinary uses, including aromatizing
  perfumes, cigars, liqueurs
• Europeans prefer the bean, while N. Americans the
  extract
• extract made by percolating alcohol water
  through chopped cured beans

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ChamomileMatricaria sp.

• Better than counting sheep
• Beat anxiety and insomnia
• Relieve indigestion
• Soothe irritated skin

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Onions

• Originated in Asia
• Ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing
  that its spherical shape and concentric rings
  symbolized eternity. Of all the vegetables that
  had their images created from precious metals by
  Egyptian artists, only the onion was made out of
  gold.
• Ranks sixth among the world's leading vegetable
  crops.
• You can get rid of onion breath by eating
  parsley.
• Yellow onions make up more than 75 of the worlds
  production of onions.
• The official state vegetable of Georgia is the
  Vidalia onion.
• The official state vegetable of Texas is the
  Texas Sweet onion.
• According to the National Onion Association,
  onion consumption in the U.S. has increased
  approximately 50 over the past 20 years.

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Chives

• Onion benefits without tears
• Help lower blood cholesterol levels
• Help reduce blood pressure
• Help prevent certain types of cancer

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Dill (Anethum graveolens) A tall, self-seeding,
with feathery leaves and open umbrella-shaped Easi
ly grown from seed
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Oregano (Origanum heracleoticum) Popular in
cooking, and antioxidant
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Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Small, moundforming, shrub
-like of different cultivars Select either
French or English cultivars Start from
seed, dividing clumps, or cuttings
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Garlic

• Culinary, medicinal, and religious use dates back
  more than 6000 years.
• Chicago got it's name from the American Indian
  word for the wild garlic that grew around Lake
  Michigan - "chicagaoua".
• California produces more than 250 million pounds
  of garlic each year. One farm in Monterey County
  (near Gilroy, "The Garlic Capital of the World")
  plants 2000 acres of garlic and produces almost
  25 million pounds annually.
• There is an all-garlic restaurant in Stockholm
  where they offer a garlic cheesecake.
• There is an all-garlic restaurant in San
  Francisco where they offer a garlic ice cream.
  The name of the place is a nickname for
  garlic...The Stinking Rose!

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raw garlic

• Prevent cure infection
• 1 clove contains substances equivalent to 100,000
  units of penicillin (1/5 avg dose)
• Help prevent cancer heart disease
• Make lean foods taste robust
• Eat sprig of fresh tarragon for temporary relief
  of garlic breath or odorless garlic in capsules

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ParsleyPetroselinum crispum

• Related to wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) (in
  the Umbel family, along with carrots, celery,
  dill, parsnips, fennel, caraway, anise,
  coriander, cumin, poison hemlock)
• Has low levels of same toxin as the wild species
• Many of these look gorgeous in the garden.

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Mint Family (Lamiaceae)

• Native to Mediterranean region
• Includes thyme, sages, marjoram, oregano,
  rosemary, savory, hyssops, basil, the various
  mints, catnip, and horehound.
• Common garden mint is spearmint, not peppermint .
• Square stems aromatic simple leaves with oil
  glands.

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TURKISH PEASANT SALAD
? by Zeyda Üstün 4 tomatoes2 cucumbers1 green
pepper1 medium sized onionparsley, mint, extra
virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar or lemon,
salt Peel and dice the cucumbers and tomatoes,
sprinkle some sea salt, add extra virgin olive
oil, vinegar or lemon juice and put it in the
refrigerator. Cut the onion in half, slice
thinly, and cut into smaller pieces. Add onions,
diced cucumbers, chopped peppers and parsley to
the salad in the refrigerator and stir. Optional
You can grate white cheese or feta. If you have
warm french bread, I suggest using it to wipe out
the delicious sauce of the Çoban salad.
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• RED LENTIL SOUP
• 3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup red lentils, washed and picked over
• 2 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 2 Tablespoon oregano
• 3/4 Tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon turmeric
• 6 cups vegetable or beef stock
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
• 1 Tablespoon dried dill, crumbled
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the
  onions over low heat until they are golden--about
  15 minutes. Stir in the flour, then add lentils.
  Add stock, and spices. Bring to a boil, and cook
  until soft and creamy--about an hour.

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SARI BURMA DESSERT If you are talented you roll
very thin sheets from the pieces of your prepared
dough. In Turkey they say, for baklava the sheets
should so thin that you could read an newspaper
below it and a baklava should have 40 layers. For
sari burma the sheets can be thicker)n the side
to near you(long side) strew from the chopped
walnut sugar mixture in a line. With the very
thin (special) rolling pin roll the sheet in a
very tight roll. The end of your sheet should be
straight. Pinch the roll from both edges. Pull
the sheet carefully from the rolling pin. Set it
on the baking tray. When your tray is filled you
cut your rolls into smaller pieces with a sharp
knife. Heat up the butter and the oil together.
Sprinkle the rolls with the warm oil. Bake it
till it is golden brown at180-200C.Meanwhile
boil sugar, water, and lemon juice. This boils
for about 20 minutes till gets syrupy. Cool it
and pour it on the sari burmas after
baking.Either your syrup or your baklava must be
cool!The measures for the ingredients will be
written soon. My mother unfortunately has no
exact measures. She has a feeling for it.