12
EARTHY TERPENES
With an earthy, dusty, even burnt flavour, these
spices have an abundance of terpenes that
convey woody spiciness. Serving in nature as
poisons against pests, the compounds are not
harmful to humans in small amounts.PENETRATING TERPENES
Unlike other terpene flavour groups, spices in
this group are dominated by powerful terpene
compounds that hit the back of the nose and
linger on the palate, with usually camphorous,
eucalyptus-like, often medicinal flavours.CITRUS TERPENES
All these spices share compounds that we
recognise as being like citrus fruit, giving them
a tangy, refreshing, lemony flavour profile with
some flowery and herbal aromas. They are found
in many ripe fruits as well as spices.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Cuminaldehyde in cumin,
cymene in nigella.IN THE KITCHEN
Oil-soluble flavours are
tenacious and lingering.
Best combined with
“lighter” fragrances.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Fenchone in grains of Selim,
cineole in cardamom.IN THE KITCHEN
Potent and lingering, these
spices need to be used in
moderation or toasted to
mask with other flavours.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Citronellal in lemon myrtle,
citral in lemongrass.IN THE KITCHEN
Fast-evaporating but found
in high quantities in this
group, so can withstand
longer cooking times.Spice Science
Flavour compounds are the tiny molecules that give each spice
its unique flavour. When in the mouth, these molecules waft up
the throat as a vapour into the nose, where they are experienced
as if coming from the tongue. For the cook, learning about these
flavour compounds is more than mere nerdy curiosity: it is the
key to releasing true creativity in the use of spices in cooking.
SPICES AND
THEIR FLAVOUR
COMPOUNDS
SWEET WARMING PHENOLS
The warming, sweetly aromatic spices in this
group owe their main flavour to compounds in
the phenol family. Often strongly flavoured and
potent, many share aniseed and eucalyptus
flavours, and sometimes bitterness.WARMING TERPENES
Terpenes are the broadest, most common type of
flavour compounds. Spices in this group are
dominated by warming terpenes, bringing warmth
without strong sweetness. They tend to have
woody, bitter, peppery, sometimes minty flavours.FRAGRANT TERPENES
Spices whose flavour is mostly due to this group
of terpenes share pleasantly fresh, pine-like or
floral flavour compounds, sometimes with woody
notes. In nature, the aromas of these compounds
spread far and wide when released.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Sabinene in nutmeg and mace,
germacrene in annatto.IN THE KITCHEN
Evaporate easily and are
lost with prolonged
cooking. Generally
oil-soluble.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Pinene in juniper, linalool in coriander.IN THE KITCHEN
Fast-acting and short-lived,
generally not tolerating long
cooking times. Disperse
almost exclusively in oil or
alcohol, rather than water.COMPOUND EXAMPLES
Eugenol in clove, anethole in fennel.IN THE KITCHEN
Often strong-tasting and
persistent, with the flavour
only slowly reduced with
cooking. Mostly dissolve
and disperse in oil.012-013_Spices_and_Flavour_Compounds.indd 12 13/06/2018 16: