The Wonderful World of Herbs and Spices
Have you ever wondered how your grandmas or grandpas’ cooking always tasted so darn good? Have you tried to duplicate the flavor and not quite hit the mark? Chances are grandma or grandpa had access to traditional herbs and spices which they used with generosity. They understood that not only did these herbs and spices add flavor and depth to their food they also naturally added healing and wellness to their meals. Herbs and spices have been humanity’s medicine cabinet for thousands of years. Cinnamon, oregano, garlic (which is technically a vegetable) along with so many other herbs and spices have been used not only for flavor enhancement in our food and beverages but also as healing elements in teas, tinctures, salves and other concoctions for very good reasons. In my lamb stew, I focus on the three mentioned above.
In case you may be wondering to yourself what the heck is the difference between an herb and a spice let’s talk about the details; an herb is made out of the fresh soft parts of the plants, like leaves, fresh flowers and soft stems. Spices generally are the dry seeds, stems, barks, and flowers. Both have a long and storied history in our culinary world; and perhaps even more so in our medicinal world. The reason these herbs and spices have been a source of amazing flavor and healing medicines are the polyphenols, antioxidants, and antimicrobials that can be found within them. These herbs and spices along with many other foods can fight off food borne illnesses, infections, control blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and clean up free radicals that may be roaming around inside your body looking to create a bit of havoc. It is amazing to me how some simple ingredients found in our very own kitchen cabinets can bring us such powerful medicine and fabulous flavor. Because as we all know if doesn’t taste good, we won’t eat it.
So… how do you incorporate these mighty ingredients into your diet you may ask? I am going to share a favorite recipe of mine that incorporates some of my favorite herbs and spices but first let’s go over what I consider to be some of the easiest ways for you to start incorporating more of these herbs and spices.
The quickest and easiest way to start is by using them fresh. Sprinkle some fresh cilantro or parsley on your sweet potato. Drop a twig of fresh rosemary into you water bottle. Add a pinch of cinnamon to your morning smoothies or oatmeal. Think of them as a condiment, try to keep one fresh herb like oregano, parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme, or marjoram sitting on your kitchen counter. Place them in a clean glass jar with fresh water just like you would fresh flowers. Every time you make a meal pinch a bit off, give a rough chop and sprinkle generously, this will add lovely flavor and immediately boost the nutrients of your meal. You can keep your herbs fresh by changing the water daily. This will keep them fresh for several days and readily available.
*THERE IS A MYTH OUT THERE THAT FRESH HERBS AND SPICES ARE EXPENSIVE TO PURCHASE AND DIFFICULT TO KEEP. This is simply not true. This year of Covid has brought many changes and many stressors but one positive change is that many of us may have taken on gardening. Many of us have turned our patios, fires escapes, front yards, side yards and backyards into our own grow your own veggie stores. How about planting some fresh herbs as well? I for one am not the most skillful gardener. I have however found that growing oregano is a no brainer. It basically grows itself; rosemary is another easy to grow herb and it is drought resistant to boot! I am told that parsley, cilantro, and basil work super well in containers although I personally have not had the most success with these. My yard is a shade lovers paradise. More about my gardening woes in another post. I do hope you get to either buying or better yet growing and of course using some fresh herbs.
Ok so lets return to one of my favorite recipes, my lamb stew. I love the deep rich flavors of this stew and I love the versatility of the recipe as well. I am a big proponent of using a recipe as a guideline. I will never ever take offense at someone changing up a recipe of mine to suit their tastes. Don’t like lamb, use beef, or chicken. Don’t like meat, use beans, tofu, eggplant, or mushrooms. You get the idea; the recipe is like an outline and you can be the painter that fills in all the colors.
References:
Hasanzade F, Toliat M, Emami SA, Emamimoghaadam Z. The Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose of Type II Diabetes Patients. J Tradit Complement Med. 2013;3(3):171-174. doi:10.4103/2225-4110.114900
Culinary Herbs and Spices: Their Bioactive Properties, the Contribution of Polyphenols and the Challenges in Deducing Their True Health Benefits Elizabeth I. Opara and Magali Chohan Chang Won Choi, External Editor
Singletary, Keith. (2010). Oregano: Overview of the Literature on Health Benefits. Nutrition Today. 45. 129-138. 10.1097/NT.0b013e3181dec789