Title: Spices
1Spices Herbs
2Difference between spice and herb?
- No clear distinction
- Herbs usually leaves (sometimes seeds), usually
from temperate-origin plants - Spices usually flowers, fruits, or bark of
tropical-origin plants
3spice Part of plant used
Black pepper Dried fruits (peppercorns)
Ginger Rhizome (underground stem)
Nutmeg Seed
Mace Covering of nutmeg seeds
Cloves Unopened flower buds
Cassia and Cinnamon Bark
Cardamom Fruits, seeds
Turmeric Rhizome
Sesame Seeds
4Herbs
- Usually aromatic leaves
- Used in cooking
- Also, in shampoos, cosmetics, soaps, medicines,
aromatherapy (e.g., Vicks vaporub, with camphor,
menthol, eucalyptus oils) - See Table 17a
5Spices herbs
- Scents flavors usually due to unique essential
oils i.e., to secondary compounds, especially
isoprenoids (terpenes). - Natural plant function in pollinator
fruit/seed-disperser attraction. - And/or plant protection from herbivores,
pathogens (mostly fungi, bacteria). - Most of these secondary compounds have
anti-microbial activities.
6spice
- Derives from the Latin word species, meaning
specific kind, and later, goods or merchandise.
Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982
7First use of spices herbs
- Origins pre-date ancient Greeks Romans, etc.
- Today we use spices herbs primarily to make
good food taste even better. - In the days before refrigeration, spices were
used to hide the taste and odor of
less-than-fresh food, and to prolong the
freshness of food (especially in warm climates).
- Today, some perfumes, soaps, and lotions are
lightly scented with spices herbs. - In the days before people took frequent baths,
spices/herbs were used as deodorants. Those who
could afford to do so had spices/herbs sown or
tucked into their clothes to hide their body
odors.
Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982
8Herbs and Spices
- Herbs and spices have been used to flavor food as
long as we have been cooking. They are among the
earliest trade items. They have also been used
as parts of incense and perfumes, as medicine,
and as aphrodisiacs. - There is no great difference between herbs and
spices. Herbs are usually leaves or seeds from
temperate climates, and spices are other plant
parts (flowers, bark, roots, etc.) from tropical
climates. There is clearly some overlap in the
definition. Both are used to flavor food.
9Herbs
- Before trade with Asia was widespread, food in
Europe was flavored primarily with members of
four plant families. These represent the
majority of the herbs used in cooking. All are
native to Europe. - onion family (Allium)
- parsley (carrot) family
- mint family
- mustard family
10Onion Family
- Important onion family members include onions,
garlic, and chives (and also leeks, shallots, and
scallions). - They are monocots that form bulbs (underground
stem bases with fleshy leaves). - The flavor comes from sulfur-containing
compounds. Some of these compounds pass
undigested from the digestive tract into the
blood, and then get excreted through the lungs
and skin garlic breath. - Eating fresh parsley helps with garlic breath.
- Most onion family members are cultivated for the
bulbs, but the leaves of chives are used as an
herb. - Alliumphobia is the irrational fear of garlic.
- Garlic is also considered to be protective
against werewolves and vampires, in Central
European folklore.
Alliumphobia by Ambera Wellman
11Mint Family
- Many familiar herbs are in the mint family
(Lamiaceae) basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary,
sage, thyme. - Mint family plants have a characteristic square
stem. - Many of these go well with tomatoes and Italian
food. American soldiers in World War 2 developed
as taste for Italian food and contributed greatly
to the popularity of pizza after 1945. - Mint itself is important as a flavoring for
candy, toothpaste, tea, and cigarettes. - For an intense experience the Celestial
Seasonings factory in Boulder Colorado has a mint
room that will overwhelm your sense of smell. - In mythology, Menthe was a Greek nymph who got
involved with Hades, god of the Underworld.
Unfortunately, his wife Persephone found out, and
she turned Menthe into the sweet-smelling mint
plant. - Salvia divinorum, Diviners sage, is a Mexican
plant used to induce visions. Possession is
illegal in Illinois. - Catnip is also a mint. Cats love it, but it just
smells bad to people.
12Carrot Family Herbs
- The carrot family (Apiaceae) has characteristic
umbel-shaped flowers. We discussed the family
members used as vegetables carrots, celery and
parsnips. - Carrot family herbs include coriander, cilantro,
cumin, dill, and fennel. - Parsley is said to be the worlds most widely
used herb. In this country it is widely used as
a garnish, a decoration on the plate that is
mostly just pushed aside. The custom of using
parsley as a food decoration started in butcher
shops it was a spot of green that contrasted
nicely with all that red and white of the meat. - Parsley is actually used as a breath freshener.
- Anise contains a licorice flavor, but real
licorice is extracted from the root of another
plant, a legume.
13Mustard Family
- The mustard family is Brassicaceae, which we
discussed earlier under Fruits and Vegetables. - The flowers are yellow of white, with 4 petals.
- Two related species are used as a condiment,
often mixed together black mustard and white
mustard (which is milder than black mustard). - Mustard seeds are ground up to make the spice.
- Horseradish is also in this family. Grated
horseradish roots also produce a hot taste. - Mustard gas, used as poison gas in World War 1,
is not related to the mustard plant or the
compounds it contains, although the color and
smell are similar.
14Early Spices
- Orient/Old World
- cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, black pepper, ginger,
cloves, cardamom, anise, caraway, mustard,
saffron - New World
- allspice, chilies paprika, vanilla
15Ancient History
- Egypt
- Greeks
- Romans
- Arabs Middle East
- After fall of Rome and during the Dark Ages (ca.
600-1000 AD) - Lost access to spices from the Orient
Trade between the empires of Asia and Rome
16Why were spices popular for trading?
- it was very lucrative
- transported easily
- improved food health
- many diverse uses for most spices
- very popular with the upper classes
- spicy food considered classy, sign of wealth
17Spice Trade, post-dark ages
- Crusades in 1096 Europeans are out fighting in
the Middle East and taste exotic spices and want
to bring them back. - 1180s Pepperers guild, predecessor to
herbalist and physicians. - Middle Ages spices valuable trade item used to
pay bills, taxes. - 1300 Polo brothers travel to China and bring
back tales of spices. - By 1300s spice trade was a legitimate
profession.
18Pepper
- Pepper was the most important spice in Europe for
a long time we consider it an essential part of
a dinner table setting salt and pepper. Getting
pepper from India was the initial driving force
behind European exploration starting with Prince
Henry the Navigator (from Portugal) in the early
1400s. - Pepper comes from the berries of the pepper vine
Piper nigrum, which is native to India. - Black pepper is made from the unripe berries,
which become black when dried in the sun. The
process is quite similar to the fermentation
process used with cacao and coffee. The whole
fruit plus the seed (one seed per fruit) are
used. - White pepper is made from ripe berries (which are
red). The red fruit is removed by allowing it to
rot away, and the seeds are dried to become white
pepper. - Red pepper gets its color from the ripe berries,
which is preserved by soaking them in brine and
vinegar (pickling). - Currently, Vietnam is the largest producer of
pepper.
19More Pepper
- Alaric the Visigoth and Attila the Hun both
demanded a ton of pepper from Rome when they
besieged the city in the 400s. Eventually,
Alaric sacked the city anyway. - It was also imported to China at about this time.
- The flavor comes from piperine, an alkaloid.
When purified, it is about 1 as hot as
capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili
peppers. Other terpene compounds in the
peppercorns add other flavors. The flavors are
lost through evaporation, so grinding whole
peppercorns immediately before use gives the best
flavor. - Pepper is the worlds most traded spice, and has
been for a very long time. - There is a related species, the long pepper Piper
longum, which was an important spice in Roman
times. It comes from Northwest India, and so it
was more accessible to the overland trade routes.
Not used much today.
20Cinnamon
- Cinnamon is the inner bark of the Cinnamomum
zeylanicum tree, usually from young twigs.
Originally from Sri Lanka and the southwester
coast of India (the Malabar Coast). - Closely related is cassia, the bark of Cinnamomum
cassia and some related trees. It is native to
Burma and was mostly imported through China. We
dont usually distinguish between these, calling
both cinnamon. - Cinnamon was uses for embalming in ancient Egypt,
and the Romans used huge amounts of it. - After Nero killed his wife Poppaea (or perhaps
she died as a consequence of miscarriage), he
burned a years supply of cinnamon as a tribute.
He also had her elevated to the status of
godhood.
21Nutmeg and Mace
- These two spices both come from the same plant,
Myristica fragrans. Nutmeg is the seed, and
mace is the red seed covering. The fruits grow
on the nutmeg tree, which has male and female
flowers on different plants. Since the males are
unproductive and there is no way to tell males
from females before they mature (8 years), most
nutmeg trees are grown from cuttings. - Connecticut is called the Nutmeg State, because
sailors from there used to carve fake nutmegs
from wood and sell them as the real thing. - The Caribbean island of Grenada is a major source
for these spices. - Nutmeg has been used for hallucinogenic purposes,
but it has variable and often unpleasant effects.
Grenada flag. On left a stylized nutmeg
22The Spice Islands
- Before modern times, the nutmeg tree was found
exclusively in the Banda Islands, a small group
in eastern Indonesia. They are part of the
Moluccas, the Spice Islands. - Arab traders knew of the islands but kept their
location secret. - In 1511, the Portuguese captured the Strait of
Malacca, the main sea route between China and
India. From this they learned to location of the
Spice Islands. - The Dutch captured the islands from the
Portuguese in the 1600s, and killed or enslaved
the entire native population. The nutmeg trees
were then confined to plantations to better
control the supply. All other nutmeg trees were
removed. The Dutch ruled for the next 200 years. - To end a war in 1667, the Dutch traded with the
British exclusive rights to the Spice Islands
vs. New Amsterdam (Manhattan). - A lapse in Dutch rule during the time of Napoleon
(1800) allowed the British to transplant some
trees to Zanzibar (island of the east coast of
Africa) and Grenada (Caribbean), breaking the
Dutch monopoly.
23The Spice Islands
24Cloves
- Cloves are the dried flower buds of Syzygium
aromaticum, a tree in the same family as nutmeg. - The name clove is derived from clavus, which
means nail in Latin, because cloves looks
vaguely like nails. - Cloves originally came from two small volcanic
islands, Ternate and Tidore, a few hundred miles
north of the Banda Islands (source of nutmeg).
The volcanoes are active, and the soil is
regularly fertilized by volcanic ash. - This is a bit north of the Equator the North
Molucca Islands. The Banda Islands are the South
Molucca Islands. - The two islands were separate kingdoms that spent
a lot of time warring with each other. - The Portuguese found these islands on the same
voyage that led them to the Banda Islands. - A few years later, Magellans crew visited these
islands during the first voyage around the world
(Magellan himself had been killed earlier). - Also, the Dutch eventually controlled the
islands, forced all clove growing to be done on
plantations while killing all other clove trees,
and generally treated everyone horribly. - The French managed to steal some trees and
transplanted them to the Caribbean and east
Africa. The island of Zanzibar is the main source
today.
25Cloves
- As with nutmeg, the location of islands was known
to Arab and Chinese traders, but most of the
crop was shipped through the port of Malacca. And
then on to India and eventually to Europe. Both
nutmeg and cloves were used in ancient Rome very
expensive. - The Chinese also used them when addressing the
Emperor, a courtier would keep a clove or two in
his mouth to sweeten his breath. This was in Han
Dynasty times, 200 BC-200AD. - Most cloves are used for cooking. However, they
are sometimes stuck into an orange and used as a
pomander ball, to improve the smell of a room or
closet. Another important use in Indonesia is as
a flavoring for tobacco clove cigarettes. They
were outlawed in the US in 2009, and are now sold
as clove cigars. - Oil of cloves is very useful as a temporary cure
for toothache. Dentists use it today, as both an
anaesthetic and a disinfectant. The active
ingredient is eugenol. - It also works quite well as an anesthetic for
aquarium fish.
26Ginger
- Ginger is native to southern China and is made
from the rhizome (horizontal underground stem
base) of Zingiber officinale. - The spice is made by harvesting the rhizomes
after flowering is finished, then scalding it to
prevent it from sprouting. It is usually ground
up. - The best ginger comes from Jamaica, where it was
introduced by the Spanish in the 1500s. - Turmeric and cardamom come from the same family.
- Turmeric produces a yellow dye, and it gives the
yellow color to American mustard. - Cardamom is made from the seeds, not the roots.
- The taste come from a volatile essential oil.
- Ginger ale is made from ginger it is a common
folk remedy for an upset stomach. - The North American plant wild ginger (Asarum
canadense) also has an aromatic root, but it is
not related to the real ginger plant. - There are also several other ginger plants
around the world.
27Saffron
- Saffron comes from the autumn crocus, Crocus
sativus, native to Asia Minor (Turkey). It has
been cultivated for more than 3000 years, and it
was well known in ancient Rome. It was brought
to India and China 2000 years ago at least. - It is mentioned in Shen Nungs book of herbal
medicine. - The spice come from the stigmas (the sticky parts
at the end of the carpels that receive pollen
grains). Each flower has 3 vividly red stigmas,
and they are picked by hand. This makes saffron
the most expensive of all spices by weight. It
takes about 75,000 flowers to make a pound of
saffron. - This leads to a great deal of adulteration of
saffron with cheaper yellow things like turmeric
and marigolds. - The plant is a sterile triploid, propagated
through corms (swollen stem bases surrounded by
fleshy leaves, like onions). It is unknown in
the wild the triploid form has been the only
cultivated form since antiquity. - It was also used as yellow-red dye. The dye
compound is related to carotene (carrot pigment).
The flavor comes from a glucoside a sugar
attached to the active principle. - Saffron is used to flavor rice.
- Cleopatra used it in her bath, as an aphrodisiac.
28Chili Peppers
- Chili peppers are a New World crop. They are in
the nightshade family along with potatoes and
tomatoes. They have been cultivated for
thousands of years. - The active principle, which makes peppers hot, is
capsaicin, an alkaloid. It is 100 times as hot
as the active ingredient in black pepper. - When Columbus tasted chili peppers, he was sure
he had reached India, the source of black pepper.
- There are 5 cultivated Capsicum species, and many
varieties. Some have almost no capsaicin (such
as sweet bell peppers) while others are extremely
hot. - Pepper hotness is measured in Scoville units. A
panel of subjects tastes a series of dilutions of
pepper extracts, to find the dilution where it is
just barely detectable. Habanero peppers can
have up to 350,000 Scoville units, and jalapeños
are about 5000 units. Pepper spray is up to
5,000,000 units. - Capsaicin is used to relieve pain by rubbing it
on the skin. It seems to deplete the supply of
Substance P, the bodys main neurotransmitter for
pain and heat.
29Vanilla
- Vanilla planifolia is a tropical New World vine,
from Central America. It is a monocot, a member
of the orchid family. - It was introduced into Europe by Hernan Cortes,
who also introduced chocolate. - Vanilla was a plant that proved hard to move to
new locations. The problem was, it was
pollinated by a species of bee that didnt make
the move. Once this was discovered (after 300
years!), artificial pollination was developed,
and the plant is grown in tropical regions
worldwide now, especially Madagascar and
Indonesia. - The hand pollination method was developed by
Edmond Albius, a 12 year-old slave. - This makes vanilla a very expensive spice
- The vanilla spice is produced by the fruit, which
is a dry fruit that contains very tiny black
seeds. Vanilla beans are dried, fermented
(cured) pods. The flavor develops during the
fermentation process. - The most common form used in cooking in vanilla
extract, in which the vanilla flavor is extracted
from the beans by soaking them in alcohol. - The main flavor comes from vanillin, which can be
synthesized chemically. But vanilla beans
contain other flavors.
30Were Columbus and Magellan voyages failures ?
- Neither won for Spain the easy access to spices
that she wanted. - Columbus never found the spices or the lands he
sought. - Magellans expedition reached the Spice Islands,
but the route across the Pacific Ocean was much
too long and much too dangerous to be practical
then.
Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982
31What spice trade accomplished
- New lands were discovered, and the question of
whether the world was spherical or flat was
finally decided. - New plants and animals were discovered some of
them were transported to continents where they
had never been before, but where the climate was
suitable. - Peoples diets became more varied and better
balanced. Europeans, whose homelands were
beginning to be overpopulated, colonized the
newly discovered lands, some of which had plenty
of space. - Generally, this worked out well for the
Europeans, but rather badly for the natives of
the colonized countries. - For better or worse, the search for species
brought together the civilizations that had
developed separately in the ancient worlds. They
would never be isolated again.
Plants that Changed History, Joan Elma Rhan, 1982
32Imperialism
- Portugal, via colonies and outposts, dominated
spice trading for ca. 100 years (16th century). - Thereafter, the Dutch, especially, and British
took control of spice trading. - Dutch took over the Indonesia Ceylon
- Dutch East India company
- England took over India, Singapore, Hong Kong
- British East India company
33Spices Herbs
- A quick survey of representatives
34Piper 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.
35Cinnamomum 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
- Related spice, called cassia, from C. cassia.
36Eugenia 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.
37Myristica 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.
38Zingiber 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.
39Curcuma longa (turmeric)
- Member of ginger family
- Perennial native to tropical Asia
- Part used rhizome
- Culinary uses (e.g., Middle East India)
- Dyes uses too (yellow)
40Crocus sativus(saffron)
- Member of Iris family
- From zafaran in Arabic
- From 3-parted Stigma of flower
- Dried by slow roasting
- Imparts delicate distinct taste color
- Used in French, Spanish, Middle Eastern Indian
cooking - Each saffron crocus flower has 3 stigmas
- Ca. 80,000 flowers (240,000) stigmas to make a
pound of saffron - 12 days to pick
- cost is gt 250 per ounce
- (so most costly spice)
- 1444 any merchant caught selling adulterated
saffron in Bavaria was burned alive
41Capsicum 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)
42Scoville 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
43Vanilla 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
44Herbs
45Bee balmMonarda fistulosa
- Kick a cold
- Breathe easy
- Help control oily skin
- Cook with a taste of native America
46BorageBorago officinalis
- The heros herb
- Help heal the heart
- Squelch stubborn skin inflammations
- eczema
- Create stellar salads
47CatnipNepeta cataria
- Calm after a storm
- Take the sting out of stress
- Make a cat happy
- Enjoy a roman salad
48ChamomileMatricaria sp.
- Better than counting sheep
- Beat anxiety and insomnia
- Relieve indigestion
- Soothe irritated skin
49Alliums (Lily family)(onion group)
- Onion- A. cepa
- Garlic- A. sativum
- Leeks- A. porrum
- Shallots- A. ascalonicum
- Chives- A. schoenprasum
- Most rich in volatile sulfur-containing compounds
- Culinary medicinal uses
- Among oldest cultivated plants
50Onions
- 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.
51Chives
- Onion benefits without tears
- Help lower blood cholesterol levels
- Help reduce blood pressure
- Help prevent certain types of cancer
52Garlic
- 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!
53raw 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
54purple cone flowerEchinacea purpurea
- Fight off colds and flu
- Heal minor cuts scratches
- Give your immune system a shot in the arm
- Compound echinsin, shown to be antiviral that
behaves similarly to interferon - Echinacoside has antibiotic properties
55Evening primroseOenothera biensis
- Petals open at night
- Soothes PMS and menopause symptoms
- Help prevent high blood pressure
- Smooth soften dry skin
- Active compound gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
56FeverfewChrysanthemum parthenium
- Sooth a migraine
- Repel insects in the garden
- pyrethrin
- Keep bees at bay
57English lavender(L. officinalis or L. vera)
- Create an herbal antiseptic
- Relax and rejuvenate mind and body
- Help normalize oily skin
58Mustard (Brassicaceae)
- White yellow, Brassica alba black (brown),
Brassica nigra. - Volatile oil derived from sinigrin/sinalbin
enzyme, myrosin. - Mustard plants produce about 1,000 pounds of
seeds per acre. - In one year at New York's Yankee Stadium, more
than 1,600 gallons plus 2,000,000 individual
packets of mustard are consumed. - Most of the mustard seeds used in Dijon, France
are actually grown in the United States and
Canada. Canada produces about 90 percent of the
world's supply of mustard seeds. - Over 700 million pounds of mustard are consumed
worldwide each year. - The Mustard Museum is in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
- world's largest collection of mustards, with over
3,500 varieties.
59Horseradish(Amoracia rusticana Brassica Family)
- prized for its medicinal and gastronomic
qualities for centuries. - Same volatile oil as mustard
- Did you know that . . .
- Horseradish is still planted and harvested mostly
by hand? - Sales of bottled horseradish began in 1860,
making it one of the first convenience foods? - In the American South, horseradish was rubbed on
the forehead to relieve headaches? (Some folks
still swear by it.) - Horseradish is added to some pickles to add
firmness and "nip"? - Before being named "horseradish," the plant was
known as "redcole" in England and as "stingnose"
in some parts of the U.S.? - Horseradish has only 2 calories a teaspoon, is
low in sodium and provides dietary fiber? - Researchers at M.I.T. claim that the enzyme
"horseradish peroxidase" removes a number of
pollutants from waste water? - Germans still brew horseradish schnapps . . . .
some also add it to their beer?
60ParsleyPetroselinum 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.
61St Johns wortHypericum perforatum
- Relieve aches pains
- arthritis, rheumatism, sciatica
- Find herbal help for depression
- Have soft silky hair
- Red color of oil from hypericin
62SpeedwellVeronica arvenis
- Calm a cough
- Leptandrine, acts as expectorant
- Mix with Chinese licorice root to balance bitter
flavor - Soften tough calluses
63TarragonArtemisia dracunculus
- Give high blood pressure the boot
- Discover possible link in cancer prevention
- Compound rutin
64YarrowAchillea millefollium
- Famous fever fighter
- Help heal cuts scratches
- Smooth stressed skin
- Stimulate the compost heap
65Mint 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.
66PeppermintMentha piperita
- Soothe your stomach
- Refresh itchy skin
- Cool spicy foods
- Active ingredient menthol
67Lemon balmMelissa officinalis
- Help relieve high blood pressure
- Digestive aid
- Volatile oil, eugenol, which calms the
gastrointestinal tract - Add a lemon lift to foods
68RosemaryRosemary officinalis
- De-stress the stomach
- rosmaricine
- Help heal a headache
- Have shiny hair
- Use as hair rinse
69SageSalvia officinalis
- Sore gum soother
- Subdue a sore throat
- Refresh skin after shaving
- Boost flavor of low-fat foods
- Camphor other volatile oils