5 years ago
latin spices & herbs 10
Mint/Yerba Buena
Used in the Latin kitchen mostly for its medicinal properties, mint has many uses in global cuisines. In our house, we've always used it as a boiled "tea"for an upset stomach and indigestion. Of course, our most popular culinary use of mint is for the ubiquit...
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Whole Cloves/Clavo
Known as one of the world's most popular and important spices, cloves are the floral buds of the evergreen clove tree. The spice has a nail head shape, hence the Latin name, "clavo," which means nail. It can range in color from red to brownish... and can be us...
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Bay Leaf/Hoja de Laurel
This aromatic leaf is originally from the Mediterranean and yields from the evergreen laurel tree, hence it's name. It's typically used in Latin cuisine when flavoring most meats (carne ripiada) poultry dishes (pollo en fricasse) and soups and broths (caldos)...
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Basil/Albaca
My grandmother in Cuba grew basil in abundance in her front yard and used it almost daily in her cooking. Basil, while predominantly used in Italian cuisine, is used it Latin cooking in much the same way. Basil, or albaca yields from the mint family and has ...
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Garlic/Ajo
I’ve mentioned before how garlic is 1/3 of the Holy Trinity of Cuban cooking and what goes in our sofritos. My cooking experience is far better with its presence. It makes everything savory (or sweet in some cases) and simply taste that much better. Garlic co...
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Star Anise/Anise Estrellado
Native to China and India, star anise or anise estrellado is an evergreen seed we use in our foods to give dishes a distinct flavor. Its licorice aroma and taste definitely makes for a unique flavor. Our primary use though, is to alleviate stomach pain and ga...
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Nutmeg/Nuez Moscada
Nutmeg, or "nuez moscada" is common in Latin cooking but not as much as we see in American cusisine. In Cuban food, you'll always find it in bechamel suaces, especially when making croquettes. Though not a staple in Latin food, it's definitely something I lov...
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Saffron/Azafran
(pic from saffronusa.com)
We all know this spice. Coined as the most expensive spice in the world, we love to cook with this tiny little thread. It is mainstay in any Latin kitchen. Used for rich yellow/reddish coloring and a smoky flavor, we primarily use it...
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Chili Powder
Popularly used in American cooking, chili powder is essentially a mix of red peppers including cayenne, ancho and chipotle (and others to personal taste). I've used it to make a really good turkey chili. It adds a great smoky flavor to certain foods, as some...
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Annatto
Annatto or bixa is a seed from the annatto tree, indigenous to the Caribbean and Central America. It's a spice we commonly use to color rice, meat dishes and sometimes even butter and does give a peppery taste. You will also find this spice used in the very...
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